


Hole in the Sky

by SpecterQueen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Altean Antok, Altean Kolivan, Altean Thace, Altean Ulaz, Alternate Universe, Dimension Travel, Drug Use, Eventual Smut, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Graphic Description, Guns of Gamara AU, Interplanetary Travel, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SHEITH - Freeform, Serious Injuries, cause this is au sheith, lots of space adventuring, past klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-02-11 02:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12925161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpecterQueen/pseuds/SpecterQueen
Summary: Guns of Gamara AU. A device is invented that allows Sven and the team to travel to different dimensions in hopes of finding resources to defeat the Altean Empire. In order for it to work, they must find the last Galran Prince and pray they survive the first jump. They embark on a journey of extraordinary space travel, learning about new universes and each other on they way.Notes: I tried to keep the characters close to the originals for familiarity.-On Hiatus-





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is older in this verse. All 18+, Content warning for drug use/drugging and traumatic injury
> 
> Galaxy Corps = Galaxy Garrison
> 
> HUD = Heads-up Display
> 
> Mind the tags, they will be updated as I go. I have about 7 chapters of this already written thanks to NaNoWriMo so I hope to keep ahead of myself. Slav is more of a plot device in this and does not go on the journey with them. I'm learning a lot writing this, so I hope you enjoy it!

 

### Prologue

 

The hulking mass of the foreign craft slowly drifted overhead, casting them in shadow. It was beautiful in its own way, streamlined, steel gray with teal lights accenting its exterior. A bright flash of energy erupted from part of its underbelly and he instinctively spun on his heels. He shouted at them to run until his voice cracked, but it was too late. The ice of the moon broke around their feet as they were lifted into space in a beam of cyan energy.

Everything afterwards passed in a bizarre haze and he could only assume he had been heavily drugged. The beings he caught glimpses of seemed eerily similar to humans and his addled mind wondered if the Galaxy Corps was hiding more than he initially suspected.

When he finally emerged into full awareness, gasping and sweating, a tall pale man greeted him. He could almost pass for human, if not for his elf like ears and strange, colored markings on his face. His white hair was slicked back and his eyes were so dark brown they appeared black.

“What is your name, child?” asked the -for lack of a better term- man.

“Sven,” he said, sitting up and and only then realizing he was wearing some type of glowing handcuffs. “Sven Holgersson.”

“I am Ulaz. It’s nice to meet you, though I wish it could’ve been under better circumstances.”

“Where am I?” Sven tried to suppress the tremors running through his body, but it seemed intent on continuing. He felt terrible. “What’s going on? Who…no, _what_ are you?”

“I am an Altean,” said Ulaz pulling out a handheld device that seemed to scan Sven. He nodded and started pressing buttons on it. “We are a species of aliens that rule a majority of the known universe. This deep space cruiser was sent to explore this and the surrounding solar systems.”

Sven pulled on the restraints, watching in frustration as they separated marginally, connected by a crackling line of teal energy, then snapped back together. He groaned and sank back down onto the table he was laying on as another set of tremors ran through his body.

“I must apologize for the withdrawal symptoms you are experiencing,” said Ulaz walking away from the table to retrieve yet another object that looked suspiciously like a syringe. He returned to the Sven’s side looking contrite. “I don’t care much for the Empire’s policies on sedating the species we find-”

“Where’s Commander Holt? And Matt?” Sven blurted out, interrupting Ulaz. He suddenly realized the alien probably had no idea who those people were. “The people I was with…where are they? Are they okay?”

“As far as I know, they’re fine, Sven,” said Ulaz. He swiftly jabbed Sven’s arm with the device in his hand, withdrawing it quickly after several seconds passed. “Please, be at ease. We are a highly sophisticated and humane Empire, and would never harm creatures without a good reason.”

Sven’s head began to feel light and when he attempted to look around the room started to spin. “What…was in…that?”

“A micro dose of the medicine used to sedate you,” said Ulaz walking away from the table. “It will lessen the withdrawal and make the next transition a little easier.”

“Transition?” asked Sven, shifting on the table and staring at the ceiling.

Sven skirted the edges of consciousness, only vaguely aware of what was happening. He caught snippets of conversations about returning to some outpost and determining the next course of action. The aliens look a lot like us, someone said. What should we do with them? Which planet did they come from? That shouldn’t be hard to determine. What about the arena for the strong one? Surely, he would entertain the nobles, and they had grown so bored of the usual competitors.

He never did find out what happened to Commander Sam Holt or his son Matt. The days that followed were long, weary, and full of life-threatening combat. The Alteans had tossed him into what they called the Coliseum, which was actually a series of arenas, making him defend himself in blood soaked battles to the death with whatever “troublesome” aliens they deemed suitable.

Sven did unspeakable things to stay alive, and the Alteans helpfully shot him up with drugs for many of the confrontations he wasn’t feeling up to. He also heard of the implants they used quite prolifically to make vast amounts of beings docile and compliant. Fortunately, they did not want their “gladiators” docile so he never received one.  

It was during a particularly intense battle that he lost his arm. He was so high the pain didn’t immediately register, but he remembered in vivid detail swinging his arm and watching it detach below the elbow. Filled with shock and rage, he shoved his opponents own blade right through his throat then nearly bled to death on the arena floor.

The Alteans wanted Sven to keep fighting. He was a champion after all. They approved him to be fitted with a cybernetic prosthesis and it was during his recovery period that his life made another dramatic shift. Fancying themselves humane, the council had allowed him to stay at what he assumed was an upscale medical facility. It was a nice change of pace, but of course it was only temporary.

He could barely use the damn arm when Ulaz showed up and told him he was there to set him free. Sven predictably started sputtering out a barrage of questions and Ulaz promptly shushed him.

“I’ll explain on the way,” he said, tugging Sven out of the bed. “We need to hurry, this is all timed down to a narrow window.”

They were in the hallway when the first explosion rocked the facility. The second and third sounded as they exited the building and Sven was momentarily dazzled by the wide expanse of red tinted sky above them. They fled into a forest of strange looking trees and ran until Sven thought he was going to die of exhaustion. When they finally reached the shuttle, Sven passed out shortly after they launched. Apparently, he wasn’t fully recovered yet.

He awoke just in time to see the shuttle approaching a space station. It had a large circular ring surrounding a craggy center, black and blending into the darkness of space save for the backdrop of a dull nebula.

“This is one of our medical facilities, hidden within a trading post,” explained Ulaz. “The Empire rarely comes out here, and so far it has not aroused suspicion.”

“Our medical facility? I thought you were with the Altean Empire.”

“I am an undercover operative for a rebel group,” said Ulaz as he eased the shuttle into a hangar. “Before I take you to the base, I would like to assess your health and ensure your arm has no tracking device.”

“So…you’ve taken me to a space hospital?” asked Sven, instinctively grasping his prosthesis and flexing it experimentally.

“If a hospital is a medical facility, then yes, I have.”

Sven received a clean bill of health but Ulaz stuck him in what he called a healing pod overnight just in case. They were dark gray, tube-like contraptions with green accent lights that seemed excessively popular in space. A force field shut him in and he soon fell unconscious standing up. He woke the next day feeling rejuvenated and Ulaz explained it also flushed any remnants of the drugs he was force fed out of his system.

“Regretfully, I am unable to take you back to the base, Sven,” said Ulaz handing him an outfit. “I have received troubling news and instructions from the Leader.”

“What’s up?” asked Sven as he started to tug off the skin tight suit he had been made to wear for the healing pod. He had never been particularly shy and Ulaz didn’t bother to avert his eyes.

“Our resistance group is called the Guns of Gamara and we oppose the hypocritical ‘peace’ the Altean Empire has imposed on the universe at large. They mean to conquer your planet as well and we have confirmation they will move in soon.”

“What?! I need to warn them!” Sven halted after pulling up his pants.

“You will get the opportunity to do just that,” said Ulaz, pulling out a data pad. He brought up an image and turned it around for Sven to see. “We have reason to believe that this ancient spacecraft has been hidden on your planet. It once belonged to the defeated Galran King Zarkon and is spoken of in legend to be immensely powerful. If the Alteans get to it first, they will likely abuse its power. If you reach it first, it’s unlikely they will even notice.”

“So you want me to return to Earth to find it and…fly it back to you?” Sven put on the remainder of his clothes and took the data pad to get a better look at the craft. “How will I find it?”

“The shuttle you take will be programmed to land near it and the tracker I give you should lead you straight to it. If you’re quick enough, you may also have time to warn any family or friends, though I would advise against it.”

“What? Why?”

“If they’re aware of the Alteans before they arrive, it may put them in danger of being seen as rebels, and rebels are not treated well.” Ulaz stood abruptly. “We cannot waste any more time. I’ll give you a brief lesson on how to fly both crafts and you must leave soon.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance Alvarez Rivera took a sip of coffee as he gazed out at the desert terrain. The Galaxy Corps had him on call but at least he got to do it from the balcony of his estate, sitting on his mod style patio furniture. He plucked open the top buttons of his uniform jacket and stifled a yawn as the sun set. Being on call was always mind-numbingly boring even with all the creature comforts of home.

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

Lance nearly choked on his coffee as Hunk Garrett strolled through the open glass doors, Pidge Holt not far behind. They were both in uniform and must have just gotten off of a shift.

“Jesus, Hunk, you scared the shit out of me!” exclaimed Lance placing a hand dramatically on his chest. “I don’t mind if you guys come over but call first so I don’t have a heart attack.”

“Sorry, sorry! I was excited and forgot,” apologized Hunk. He sat next to Lance and practically vibrated with anticipation as he politely waited for Lance to speak.

“So…what happened?” said Lance with a smirk. He always found Hunk’s enthusiasm endearing.

“We…er, Pidge and I were doing our shift in the comm. room, which is normally pretty boring, right?” Hunk started, speaking quickly. “Well, nothing much happened for most of it except the usual, but in the last hour, we heard something! You know, something different than the norm.”

“Really? What was it?” said Lance.              

“A transmission,” said Pidge from the where she stood at the railing. “It sounded like it was in a foreign language, but I’ve never heard anything like it.”

“Did you report it?” asked Lance sitting up straighter in his seat.

“Of course, though they didn’t seem too concerned about it,” said Hunk.

“That is interesting but I doubt it has any significance,” said Lance. He took another sip of his coffee and grimaced since it had gone cold.

“I ran it through my voice recognition software and it doesn’t match any known language,” said Pidge looking intently over the darkening horizon. “At least none on this planet.”

“There you go again with that alien nonsense,” said Lance standing up. “Would you guys like anything to drink? I…wait, what is that?”

They all watched as a few dull lights flashed high in the sky, then shot towards the ground leaving behind a smoke trail. Upon impact in the distance, the horizon lit up with what sounded like an explosion.

“Whatever it was, it crashed!” shouted Hunk.

“We should check it out,” said Pidge picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulders. “Let’s go quickly, before the Corps get there.”

“Come on! We can take my speeders!” said Lance springing into action.

“This is a bad idea, guys,” said Hunk rushing after Pidge and Lance as they ran towards the garage. “The Corps definitely saw that…they’ll probably get there first.”

“I doubt that,” said Lance. “It takes them a while to mobilize, trust me.”

Roughly fifteen minutes later the two speeders reached the site of the crash and they could hardly believe their eyes. It appeared to be a spacecraft of some sort, but far more advanced than anything the Corps possessed. It was mostly intact, though an engine seemed to have blown and was still spilling black smoke.

“Guys…what if this was the source of that transmission?” said Pidge staring at the craft with wide amber eyes. “What if this is-“

Pidge was cut off as a hatch at the back of the craft hissed open and hit the sand with a loud thud. A shadowed figure stumbled out the back, and Lance stepped forward, hand hovering over the gun on his belt. The figure’s face was obscured by a black helmet but its body looked human shaped enough. It fell to its knees after a few unsteady steps and groped at the helmet, finally yanking it off. Shiny black hair fell disheveled around a familiar face that looked around dazed before locking on them.

“Sven?!” exclaimed Lance scrambling forward and falling onto his knees before him. He grasped Sven by the arms and held him steady. “Is that really you?” His voice cracked on the last word.

“L-Lance?” Sven looked up behind Lance and tears started to gather in his eyes. “Katie, Hunk…and Keith.”

“Please don’t call me Katie-wait, did you say…” Pidge spun around and let out an impressive screech when she saw that Keith was indeed standing right behind them.

“We need to get moving, guys,” said Keith Kogane pushing between Hunk and Pidge to help Lance haul Sven to his feet. “The Corps are halfway here already.”

“But shouldn’t we take Sven to them?” asked Hunk as the group moved towards the speeders. “Just because you quit doesn’t mean we should disobey the rules, Keith.”

“No! No…I don’t have time to be detained,” protested Sven struggling to pull something out of a pouch on his suit. “We’re in danger, Earth is in danger! I need to find the hidden spacecraft…I have a tracker…”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” said Lance stepping away from the group. “Take him back to my house and lay low. I’ll stay here and tell them I saw someone flee towards the mountains. They should trust my word as an officer and the speeders will get rid of most of our tracks.”

“Thanks, Lance,” said Keith as he hopped onto his speeder and motioned for Sven to get on behind him.

“No problem, now, go, go! I have to call this in so it seems less suspicious.”

The two speeders took off and headed back towards Lance’s estate, leaving the third behind for Lance. Thankfully, they were far enough away from the incoming convoy that they were not seen. They pulled into the garage built into rock and ushered Sven upstairs to the living room. It was an open floor concept house with so many windows the walls seemed to be made of nothing but glass. Keith started to draw every curtain he could find after noting the lack of shutters or shades.

“Here you go,” said Hunk offering Sven a glass of water he hastily retrieved from the kitchen.

Sven thanked him and took a few sips before setting the cup on the coffee table. He bent forward and cradled his head in his hands with a sigh.

“Are you in pain?” asked Keith immediately by Sven’s side on the couch.

“No, no, I’m fine,” said Sven lifting his head. “It’s just…I’m relieved I made it back in one piece. One of my engines blew while I was in the atmosphere and I thought I was a goner. I don’t know how it happened. I may have been fired on.”

“Fired on? By whom?” asked Pidge.

“Sven, we thought you were dead,” said Hunk. “It was all over the news. The Kerberos Mission failed due to pilot error. You all…had funerals.”

Sven sighed heavily. “Well, it definitely failed but it had a lot more to do with being abducted than my piloting skills.”

“What about dad and Matt?” Pidge leaned over the coffee table, a hard expression etched on her face. “Did…did they make it?”

“I don’t know.” Sven looked down at his hands suddenly remembering one of them wasn’t really his. “I was told they were safe once I woke up but not where they were. They were sent somewhere else than where I was.”

Pidge glared at him as her bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes glistened with tears. She slammed her palms on the table, bolted to her feet, and stalked out onto the balcony.

“Um, maybe we should save any further conversation about this stuff until Lance gets back,” suggested Hunk as he walked towards the balcony. “I’m gonna go make sure she’s okay.”

Sven stared at the glass doors of the balcony looking dejected. “I…couldn’t help them…I…”

“Hey,” said Keith softly as he laid a hand on Sven’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out, together.”

Sven looked at him, then scrubbed a hand over his eyes and nodded.

“It’s good to have you back,” said Keith with a small smile.

“It’s good to be back,” said Sven. He flicked a piece of Keith’s dark hair that had fallen over his shoulder. “You grew it out.”

“Yeah, didn’t have to keep up with it after quitting the Corps.”

“Why did you do that?” asked Sven.

“I don’t know…I just didn’t see the point anymore.” Keith shrugged. “I was angry over what happened to you and-“

“Did you guys draw the curtains?” asked Lance as he strode into the living room. “The Corps are crawling all over this area and I had a hard time convincing them not to search the house. Thank god my family holds so much influence and honestly I think Iverson is just as scared of my mom as I am…”

“What happened?” asked Keith. “You weren’t gone that long.”

“Didn’t have to be,” said Lance surveying the house and plopping down on a lounge chair next to the couch. He scooped up a remote from an end table and pressed a button, turning the visible glass doors from transparent to opaque. “There. Nice and private. It wasn’t my case to work so they only questioned me briefly and ordered me home. I was stopped short of the house and asked if they could search inside, which I refused. Told them they were free to search outside, but that was it and I would call them if I saw anything else.”

Hunk and Pidge came back inside having heard Lance’s voice and more than likely saw his arrival from their vantage point. They took seats in the spacious living room and Lance nodded.

“Go ahead, Sven,” urged Keith. “Tell us what happened to you.”

Sven explained everything he could remember, trying to leave out the gorier details, of which there were plenty. He finally reached the part about the hidden craft and tracker and once again reached for it, this time successfully freeing it from a pouch on his space suit.

“If there’s any truth to all the crazy and horrible things I went through, this should lead us to something amazing,” said Sven holding up the device for everyone to see.

“That settles it then,” said Lance slapping his knees and standing up. “We’ll go look for it tomorrow, when all of this commotion hopefully dies down and we’re off our shifts. Unless anyone has any objections?”

Everyone agreed to help and Lance beamed a smile of approval and nodded.

“Great! You’re all welcome to stay at Casa de Alvarez Rivera, I have plenty of guest rooms.” Lance turned to Sven. “And I have clothes for you if you want to change out of that space suit, or whatever it is. You seem like my big brother’s size and he keeps stuff here, despite my insistence otherwise.”

“Thanks, Lance,” said Sven. “I appreciate it.”

Lance waved his hand stating it was no big deal and settled everyone in for the night. Sven slept well for the first time in ages, basking in the feeling of familiar things like a mattress, cotton sheets, and regular clothes.

In the morning, Lance woke up early to cook an extravagant breakfast and it was obvious he enjoyed being a host. Nobody’s coffee cup or orange juice glass stayed empty long. Sven started to cry when he drank his first cup of coffee, overwhelmed by such a simple luxury after so long. Keith rubbed his back patiently until he was ready to eat, and Lance made him a second portion of scrambled eggs.

Hunk, Pidge, and Lance had day shifts to work, so they left to report for duty. Keith left for a while to get some things from his apartment and Sven caught up on the news. He was startled to learn he had been missing for over a year. Keith soon returned with a duffel bag in tow. He tossed it on the couch then promptly dug out some of Sven’s old clothes, handing them over with a shy grin.

“You left these at my place when you got completely smashed after the Kerberos mission acceptance ceremony,” said Keith blushing. He wondered if Sven remembered anything that happened that crazy night.

Sven laughed and took the clothes. “The only thing I remember was running around outside in my boxers, then you and Matt forcing me to lie down after coercing me back inside. Oh yeah, and being miserable the next morning.”

“Matt had to go get you a uniform because you were pathetically hungover and needed to show up to a briefing or something soon,” said Keith, shaking his head. “I threw my best hangover remedies at you while we waited and they seemed to help.”

“Good times,” mused Sven as he tugged off the loaner shirt.

Keith stared at the prosthetic arm and Sven paused before pulling his own shirt over his head. “Does it come off?” asked Keith quietly.

“Yeah,” said Sven frowning down at the arm as he flexed the fingers.

The prosthesis was gun metal gray and came up past the bend in his elbow. They had made him take it off and put it back on to show him how it worked, strongly suggesting he take it off at night if possible and safe. He reached for the hidden buttons, two that had to be pushed at exactly the same time, decreasing the chance it could be removed accidentally. They clicked and he twisted it slightly feeling a little queasy as the prosthesis unlatched from the contact points and started to slide off. It was surreal holding something that looked like your arm while staring down at the empty space where it was supposed to be.

Sven placed it beside him on the couch and continued to stare fixated on where his forearm abruptly ended.

“Can I?” asked Keith, kneeling before Sven and hovering a hand over his arm.

Sven looked up at him like he hadn’t realized he was there. “Uh…yeah, g-go ahead.”

Keith took the arm gently and studied it. The skin was heavily scarred near the stump, and there were a couple small metal plates fused to the skin of the forearm, probably where it latched. Keith was pretty sure such a thing wasn’t medically possible and gingerly ran his fingers over one. Sven didn’t seem to mind.

“They did a good job,” said Keith briefly rubbing Sven’s arm in an attempt to soothe him.

Sven nodded and fumbled beside himself, grasping the arm and carefully sliding it back on.

“Hey, Keith.” Sven frowned down at his arm for a moment before looking back up at Keith pointedly. “I really don’t want to involve you in this mess…it’s going to be dangerous and I don’t know if I could stand any of you getting hurt like I’ve been.”

“Sven, stop,” snapped Keith standing up. “I’m not letting you go through this alone anymore. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m here for you, no matter what happens.”

Sven hid his smile behind his hand and glanced over at Keith, who was now putzing around in the kitchen. He’d always liked to think he had a special bond with Keith, but was never sure for one reason or another. Maybe he was right after all and that thought made him feel happier than he had been in a long while.

“You want some food?” asked Keith tossing things from Lance’s fridge onto the counter. “I’m starving.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sven picked up the tablet from the coffee table and continued searching recent news. “Food sounds great.”

Lance returned by afternoon, while Hunk and Pidge were due back in the early evening. Lance was happy to report that the activity around the house had died down and they should be fine to head out after dinner. He made Tuscan chicken, roasted potatoes, and garlic knots. Sven, who loved home cooked meals more than anything, cried again while he ate.

As they gathered supplies, Hunk and Pidge showed up bearing gifts of pastries and cookies for dessert. Sven teared up yet again and ate a few while Lance heated up the leftovers for Hunk and Pidge. An hour later, they gathered around a map and pointed out the major landmarks nearby to get their bearings. Sven pulled the tracker from his pocket and turned it on. A small screen on it lit up with two teal dots.

“I think the one flashing is us,” said Hunk, shouldering a backpack.

“Yeah, sounds right.” Sven nodded and gave everyone a brief look. “Ready to go, team?”

Everyone answered “ready” in a chorus and headed for the garage. This time they had the luxury of taking the Jeep, though Keith insisted on taking his speeder as well. The two vehicles drove into the desert, mindful to keep their lights off as long as they could manage. The moon hung bright and serene above, illuminating their path.

Sven sat in the passenger seat, carefully watching the tracker and telling Lance where to go. An hour passed and they were still searching, covering god knows how many miles in the endless expanse of sand, hills, and boulders. A thread of doubt was trying to weave its way into Sven’s mind, but he staunchly ignored it and continued dictating the path. More time passed, he had no idea how much, but they finally seemed to reach their destination.

“It’s here!” shouted Sven.

Lance stomped on the brakes and the Jeep came to a skidding halt, the speeder not far behind. Before them loomed a massive outcropping of boulders, casting them in shadows. The four of them filed out of the Jeep and joined Keith, who was already standing in the slight distance. He glanced at them over his shoulder and smirked.

“Okay, follow me,” said Sven, stepping to the front of the group and walking towards the stationary teal dot, now nearby.

The tracker led them straight to a solid group of boulders. Sven made a frustrated sound and looked around.

“What’s wrong….ooooh, shit,” said Hunk sidling up to Sven. He looked forward, then around with a thoughtful expression. “Any ideas, Pidge?”

“Yeah, look up,” said Pidge pointing.

Everyone looked up as instructed to see a dark opening not too far above their heads. There were plenty of staggered ledges for them to step on.

“Guess we’re getting some rock climbing in tonight,” said Lance, already starting to scale the rocks.

“I did not sign up for this,” complained Hunk as they started the precarious journey. He slipped and cursed. “What if someone falls and gets hurt?!”

“Just be careful and take your time,” said Sven.

Eventually, they all made it to the opening, looming pitch black and ominous before them.   Hunk and Lance fished out their lights and the group cautiously moved into the cavern. It had a ledge that dropped off shortly after they entered and Lance cautioned everyone to watch their step. It continued to slope downward.

They hadn’t made it far before strange violet lights started to illuminate in the cave walls. The lights seemed to be guiding them, only appearing in a certain path, which they dutifully followed. They soon reached a dead end, but before they could complain, the rock around them started to rumble.

The floor crumbled and dropped out beneath their feet sending them shooting down a watery rock slide. Predictably, they all screamed their voices raw wondering if they would survive the fall, soon tumbling to the ground in a graceless heap. After a heartbeat, they started to untangle themselves and assess the damage.

“Everyone okay?” croaked Sven, wincing as he climbed to his feet.

“I think so,” said Lance looking around, then helped Pidge to her feet.

“Looks like we’re okay.” Keith dusted off his jacket and looked around. “Where are we? What is this place?”

The ceiling of the cavern they now found themselves in was high, and it should’ve been pitch black considering how far down they were, but there seemed to be a light source emanating from nearby. Sven looked around and walked deeper into the cavern. He faltered after several steps and gasped loudly.

“What is it, Sven?” Keith jogged up beside Sven and trailed off as his eyes followed where Sven’s were fixed. “Holy shit!”

“What the hell is that?!” exclaimed Hunk running up behind the duo and gaping in awe.

“It’s the craft!” said Pidge barreling past everyone to get a closer look at the massive, dark object sitting serenely in the slight distance. Some type of barrier prevented her from getting too close and was the source of light that dimly lit the cavern.

“Do you still have the tracker?” asked Lance.

Sven was relieved to see that he did indeed still have the tracker clutched soundly in his hand. He glanced at it and the two dots were practically on top of each other. “This is it, guys. We found it.”

“How do we deactivate the barrier?” asked Pidge, poking the glowing purple field with her finger.

That part, Ulaz had told him how to do. Sven smashed the large blue button on the tracker and the barrier immediately started to dissipate. Pidge squealed with joy and rushed forward. Just as she was about to ask how they got inside it, a hatch hissed open apparently under its own volition. She bolted inside before anyone could utter a “be careful” or “wait”. Sven watched warily as her light auburn ponytail disappeared into the darkness of the craft.

“Come on, guys!” shouted Hunk as he rushed in after Pidge. “We can’t let her go in there alone, it might be dangerous.”

Sven looked at Keith and Lance, who both nodded at him before running in after Hunk. Sven was the last one to enter the craft and thankfully it looked different enough from an Altean vessel that he felt relatively safe. Ulaz had not had enough time to explain much of the Galra Empire to him, but from what he had said Galrans had access to elements and energy sources the Alteans coveted. Ulaz called the energy “quintessence”, which from what Sven gathered, was something like “the Force” in the classic space opera, Star Wars. Maybe. He wasn’t actually too clear on any of it.

The interior of the craft seemed to be made of some form of dark gray metal, and everything was bathed in purple hues due to the pervasive accent lighting running through the corridors. It was probably pretty useful in the darkness of space. Who or what had powered it on he could only guess. The bridge was easy enough to find, though it took a bit of walking and an elevator trip. Sven marveled at the size of the craft, wondering at how the hell it had stayed hidden so long? Then again, searching the desert for something even that big was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The bridge seemed dominated by a giant viewport that wrapped all around the front and sides, even overhead a bit. There were numerous stations with consoles which some of the team had already sat in. When Sven took another look overhead, there was an alarmingly large crystal hanging suspended over a raised platform.

“What is that?” asked Sven, wondering out loud.

“I’m guessing a power source,” answered Pidge already hooking her laptop up to a console, which entailed removing a panel and wiring it in directly.

“Are you sure you should be doing that?” Sven looked around. Keith was sitting at a station to his left, Hunk was by the wall checking out the gauges and screens, and Lance was standing at the edge of the bridge peering out the viewport. “Did any of you guys power this thing up?”

Various no’s sounded from the bridge and Sven pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe the remote powered it up when he deactivated the barrier. He didn’t have long to ponder it because a loud rumbling noise started to fill the craft. It began to quake beneath their feet and Sven grabbed the nearest seat as it suddenly lurched forward and started to rise.

“Pidge, what’s going on?!” shouted Lance carefully making his way over to her console after being tossed against the viewport.

“Obviously a launch has been initiated but I can’t make any sense of it yet,” she said as she furiously typed away at her laptop. “Everything is in an alien language and it’s going to take a while to decrypt it…if my programs even can.”

They all watched in shock as rays of magenta energy shot out of the craft, obliterating the rock around them and raining debris, before floating upwards through the hole it created. The night sky came into view and it lingered for a moment hovering as a deep resonating hum gathered and rose. Without warning, it shot into the sky, through the spheres of the atmosphere, and into outer space.

Sven looked out the viewport as he clung to a chair, listening to the deafening chorus of screams filling the bridge. It would’ve been amusing if it wasn’t so terrifying. Even at the speed they were going, the sight of another spacecraft approaching Earth made Sven’s blood run cold. Tragically, that was moment when their craft also decided to come to a complete halt.

“Oh my god,” whispered Pidge, but it sounded impossibly loud.

Their craft suddenly lurched to the side and a few consoles sprayed a dazzling display of sparks. Just like a science fiction show, thought Sven sourly.

“What’s happening?!” yelled Hunk, throwing himself into the seat of a nearby station and smashing buttons in hopes of activating it.

“We’re being fired on!” said Keith, also at a console but with a holographic HUD floating before him.

“I think he’s right,” said Pidge, continuing to punch away at her laptop. “And I’m picking up a few more large energy signatures.”

Sven watched in horror as two more vessels he now recognized as Altean materialized out of what appeared to be nowhere. A shiver ran down his spine and nausea settled into his stomach as he broke out into a cold sweat. Another shot must’ve made contact because the craft shifted again but did not throw any sparks that time. An alarm sounded nonetheless. 

“Sven, what do we do?!” shouted Lance.

“I…I think we have some kind of shields or barrier up,” said Pidge squinting at her screen, pressing a key, and activating the HUD on her console. “We likely took that first hit directly though, and I’m not sure how the barrier went up. Maybe an automated safety mechanism?”

“How many more do you think we can take?” asked Hunk.

“Do we really want to find out?!” said Lance. “How do we get this thing to move again?”

“Working on it,” said Pidge scrutinizing the fuchsia tinted HUD before her and pressing a few things experimentally.

The craft abruptly shot forward in much the same manner it had from the cave, though everyone was braced against or seated in something currently. Celestial bodies whipped by one after the other before they halted once again, right before a strange swirling anomaly.  

“Should…we go through that?” asked Lance looking around to his friends.

“It’s definitely there for a reason,” said Pidge. “We didn’t stop right before it by chance.”

“What do you think it is?” asked Hunk.

“A wormhole,” said Sven, finally finding his voice and releasing his death grip on the chair. He took a deep breath. “The Alteans use them to travel quickly through space. If we go through that, there’s no telling where we’ll end up.”

“I’m willing to bet we’re on the edge of our solar system by this point if not already out of it.” Pidge swiped her HUD with two index fingers and it seemed to display a solar map. “I know this system like the back of my hand and if this screen is correct, we’re close to Neptune…which is ridiculous.”

Silence ruled the bridge for several minutes as everyone let the reality of their outrageous situation sink in.

“Guys, listen up,” said Sven drawing everyone’s attention. “I can’t ask you to do this with me. It’s my mission and mine alone. Asking you to go with me…it’s too much.”

“What the hell, no way!” Pidge protested first. “I need to find dad and Matt! I’m going with you whether you like it or not.”

“Me too!” said Hunk crossing his arms and nodding. “You’re not going to make it far without an engineer and mechanic, trust me.”

“I already told you I’m here for you no matter what and I meant it,” said Keith, who had turned in his seat to stare at Sven intently.

“I’m in too,” said Lance with a smirk. “You need someone to fly this thing, right? Who better than the Corps ace pilot?”

“Thank you, guys,” said Sven smiling. He honestly felt so relieved he could cry. Again. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with. Ulaz said the pilot station was the one in the front, which is kinda vague now that I see how many there are.”

Lance nodded and made his way to the station at the front of the bridge, sliding into its seat. As soon as he did several HUD’s activated and a set of long handles rose from compartments in the floor.

“Think I just figured out how to fly this thing,” he said, grasping the handles and setting his feet onto the pedals he noticed. “Ready, everyone?”

“Go ahead, Lance,” said Sven as confidently as he could muster. “Take us through the wormhole.”   

The craft drifted slowly into the anomaly on low thrusters. It sealed shut the second the hull was completely within leaving nothing behind but a serene expanse of space.                   

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) or my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/)!


	2. Ch 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caf = Coffee  
> Glop = Food Goo  
> HUD = Heads-up Display

### Chapter 1

 

Sven cracked his eyes open and blinked blearily in the low light. Panic momentarily gripped his heart until he realized that he was safe and sound, tucked into a healing pod at the Guns of Gamara’s medical facility. The same one that Ulaz had taken him to after helping him escape from the Altean hospital.

Their latest mission had failed. Kolivan had sent Slav and him to retrieve a comet supposedly made of valuable material but strange people from another reality had taken it instead. Only in space could such a ridiculous thing happen. Just as well, he supposed, as long as it didn’t fall into the Altean Empire’s hands. In a delayed manner he also remembered he had gotten shot saving a person that looked almost exactly like the Lance he knew. He was younger and had a slightly different haircut, but his features were identical. Maybe that was why his body had moved before his mind could register the action.

The barrier on the pod started to dissipate upon reading he was conscious. He stumbled out and was startled to be caught in the arms of someone he had failed to notice. It was probably the night cycle considering the room was bordering on dark.

“You okay, buddy?” asked Antok holding Sven upright until he got his bearings.

“Um…yeah, thanks,” said Sven looking up at the remarkably tall half Altean gripping his arms.

While Antok was possibly one of the largest members of the Guns of Gamara, he was also the quietest. You never noticed him until he was practically on top of you. Great for missions, not so great for your heart on a normal day. Add that to his fun and easy going personality and you had the perfect recipe for pranks. He certainly made life on the base seem less dreary when he was around, and for that Sven was grateful.

Antok eventually let Sven go and he staggered over to a table, leaning heavily against it. He skirted his fingers over the bodysuit where the laser had shot his chest. It was completely healed but he could still feel the phantom sensation of the searing, white hot pain that had radiated from it, eventually making him pass out. The time afterwards passed in a debilitating haze of confusion as he hung suspended between a state of awareness and unconsciousness.

“Yeah, those blaster bolts hurt like hell,” said Antok, brushing back some stray strands of blue hair and leaning against a counter. “I’m still shocked Slav managed to haul your heavy ass back to the shuttle.”

“Me too,” said Sven, searching his memory for any indication that had actually happened. A few snippets showed up, but nothing substantial. “I…thought I was dying.” He left out the part where he wanted to add “again”.

“It was possible, but not likely. Those bolts usually cauterize wounds so they prevent any major bleeding, but you definitely could’ve slipped into shock, which I think actually did happen…or had fatal organ damage.”

“Really?” Sven gave Antok his best flat expression. “Fantastic. Good to know.”

“Ahaha, sorry!” Antok took no offense to Sven’s sarcasm and pushed himself away from the counter. “Ready to get dressed and leave? Leader wants to see you.”

“Sure thing.” Sven followed Antok to the lockers. Most of them kept spare clothes at the facility considering it wasn’t uncommon to find yourself there in their line of work. Unlike Ulaz, Antok was polite enough to avert his eyes while Sven changed. “Where’s the team? And Ulaz?”

“Ulaz is back undercover on an Imperial Altean cruiser again, and your team is being briefed on the latest mission.”

“We have a new mission?” asked Sven putting on a jacket. Even with climate controls, space felt cold at times.

“They have a new mission,” corrected Antok. “I’m not sure about you. That’s up to Leader.”

Sven visibly deflated at that answer and remained silent on the trip back to home base. Antok was more than happy to fill the silence with bad jokes and idle chatter, which honestly made Sven feel better. It reminded him of his adoptive Norwegian father back on Earth.

The base was hidden in a section of space that not many beings bothered venturing into. The surrounding solar system was devoid of life, save for microscopic. It had little to no natural resources of value, which caused the Alteans to have no interest in exploring it further. The base itself was cleverly disguised as the satellite of a large gas giant planet. It had been Slav’s outrageous engineering skills that had made that possible, but was originally the Leader’s idea. Prior to that, the Guns of Gamara had been more scattered and the base more vulnerable.

The moon appeared to have a layer of dark rock and contained numerous impact craters across its surface. The craters glittered brightly with ice and Sven thought it looked a lot like Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. It was quite beautiful even if the Leader complained it stood out too much, therefore defeating the purpose of its construction. Slav defended his design stating it was a perfectly normal celestial body formed under circumstances that shouldn’t raise any suspicion. Plus, his sensors and programs wouldn’t let anyone find them anyways and he liked how shiny it was.

The shuttle came in for a smooth landing in a hangar bay once it had passed through the moon barrier. The base within was a regular station while the spherical “moon” part was an outer shell that also doubled as a powerful shield. It was truly a modern marvel even for their advanced technology.

“Welcome back to Arvath, Sven,” said Antok grinning at him after they landed.

When they stepped out of the shuttle, the first thing Sven noticed was Keith standing in the distance. His arms were predictably crossed and he wore his casual clothes instead of the uniform, which included the strange crop top jacket Sven had grown to like but doubted its practicality.

“You’re late,” said Keith when they approached him. His eyes locked on Sven briefly, reflecting the relief he would not verbalize.

“It’s not my fault!” said Antok, following Keith as he spun on his heel and started walking down the corridor. “You know those estimated recovery times are educated guesses at best, right? It took him three more vargas than the pod readout. Thank the Gracious Mother I brought a tablet to read!”

“How long was I in that thing?” asked Sven as he jogged up beside Keith.

“Two quintents,” answered Antok. “Well, technically a little longer, about 43 vargas.”

Sven stared at Antok with a slight frown trying to remember the weird Altean measurements for time.

“About two days,” said Keith with a small smile. “Ulaz threw a fit because he couldn’t be there to program the pod personally, but he guided the doctor there through the steps just in case.”

“Who brought me to the facility?”

“Slav brought you there directly after the mission because he was worried the pods here couldn’t handle an injury of that extent,” explained Keith. “He’s already explained what happened and we’re formulating the next mission.”

The fact the Guns of Gamara operated more like a democracy than a dictatorship was definitely one of the things Sven loved about them. The Leader usually got the final say in more serious issues, but he always sought counsel with trusted members and frequently put things to a vote. They were fighting an Empire that operated on the opposite principles, and he wanted nothing to do with such ideologies. His leadership was based on earned respect and admiration, and he wanted to keep it that way.

They arrived at the debriefing room and walked down a center aisle towards the Leader standing near a HUD screen, talking with Lance and Slav. He looked up and raised his eyebrows as he noticed the three approaching.

“Sven, you’re back,” he said in his usual calm tone.

“Sven?!” Lance spun around and rushed over to Sven, nearly knocking him over as he threw his arms around him. “You’re okay! I was so worried!”

Sven returned the embrace with a smile. It felt nice to be accepted back so warmly and he could definitely take all the warmth he could get those days.

“I’m sorry the plan fell through, Kolivan,” said Sven after Lance let him go.

Kolivan shook his head, causing his long pale braid to sway. “It was an exceedingly unique situation, and there’s no need to apologize. Because of that mission we have also discovered something very interesting.”

“Well…pretty much everything that happened past a certain point was technically interesting,” said Sven. “What is it?”

Kolivan activated the large holographic screen at the front of the room and nodded at Slav.

“Of course you remember the craft we had you retrieve from Earth?” asked Slav, but did not wait for a response. It appeared on the screen along with several overlays of schematics Sven could not read. “Since we don’t know much about its construction or what it’s made of, I decided to analyze its materials based on a hunch.”

“I’m assuming you found something,” said Sven sitting on a table. He still felt a bit weak and probably needed to eat soon.

“I did,” nodded Slav. “With the help of Pidge I was able to identify the material used to make the craft. Much to our surprise it is the same material as the comet we failed to retrieve.”

“Are you kidding me?” Sven laughed. “So we’ve had some sitting under our nose this whole time?”

“Isn’t that the same stuff the giant cat robot, Voltron, was made out of?” asked Antok, who was sitting on a chair obviously too small for him. He made do with sprawling his legs out on the table, which he knew bothered Kolivan but did it anyways.

“Yes, and it was pretty impressive,” said Sven. “That kinda makes me feel like I could have avoided getting shot…”

“Unfortunately, that seemed to be necessary, though my initial probability assessment of the mission did not hint at either of us getting injured, let alone shot.” Slav continued to mutter about hasty recalculations with the introduction of alternate selves appearing as he typed at a console. The image on the screen changed to a different one with similar overlays as the last.

“The anomaly,” said Sven, immediately recognizing the image.

“I was able to gather quite a bit of data on the anomaly during the mission, and have already started the plans for a device that can allow Zarkon’s craft to travel between dimensions,” stated Slav casually.

“Wait, what?!” Sven shot to his feet in surprise. “Are you serious? So…the mission wasn’t a complete failure after all!”

“Seems that way,” said Kolivan turning to Sven with his arms crossed. “Because of all this, we have a new mission for your team, and this time you must not fail.”

“If that’s the case, you should probably send someone more experienced, like me or Thace,” said Antok, which caused Lance and Keith to shoot him dirty looks. “Hey, no offense, kids, but we’ve been in the field longer.”

“We’re perfectly capable of carrying out this mission,” said Keith, speaking up for the first time. “Sven and Slav may have succeeded too if the whole team had gone on the last one.”

“What’s the mission, Kolivan?” asked Sven before anyone could bicker more.

“To find the Galran prince, Lotor,” said Kolivan.

Silence ruled the room for a moment as the information sunk in. Antok nearly fell out of his seat as he suddenly burst into laughter.

“Leader…oh gods, is this a joke?” asked Antok still chuckling.

“Why would it be a joke?” asked Lance, clearly confused.

“Because the Galra Empire was defeated ten thousand years ago, and with it any royalty I’m assuming,” said Keith.

“Exactly,” said Kolivan. “But, according to legend, in an attempt to preserve his bloodline King Zarkon put his son in stasis and hid him on a distant planet. We think the location of the planet may be hidden in the files of his craft, which we all know was also well hidden.”

“That’s what Hunk and Pidge are doing right now,” said Slav. “They’re in the craft combing through files. Well, the programs are doing most of the work, but they still need to monitor the progress.”

“Okay, okay,” said Lance drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I get why having the last Galran prince would be awesome and all, but why do we _really_ need him?”

“Because using the device to travel interdimensionally is like wormholing on a higher level,” said Slav pulling up a helpful, quickly scribbled diagram. “It’s based on the principles of the Altean wormhole method and because of that needs multiple energy sources. One is a suitably sized crystal -bigger than the one the craft currently has- and the second is a user with magical ability.”

“And the prince has this ability?” asked Sven.

“I have reason to believe he is the only one that currently has this ability,” said Slav, idly doodling more details into his sketches. “Besides Empress Zillah, that is, but she’s not really an option.”

“So basically someone with royal blood, Altean or Galran,” said Antok nodding. “Makes sense. Both were famed for their immense magical abilities.”

“It’s also possible that the Altean bloodline has been too watered down over time since Empress Allura.” Slav suddenly deactivated the holoscreen. “I need to work on these blueprints more so I can start construction while you’re gone.”

“Who’s going to get the crystal?” asked Sven.

“Antok and I will personally attend to that,” answered Kolivan. “We know the proper ritual to perform when we retrieve it and should have it back by the time you return.”

“So you really think this is going to work out?” asked Lance, who Sven just noticed was also in his regular clothes.

“There’s a 97.2 percent chance of success,” said Slav happily.

“Go check on Hunk and Pidge’s progress,” said Kolivan. He hesitated before placing a hand tentatively on Sven’s shoulder. “And rest while you can, Sven. You are a trusted, fellow Gun and I’m glad to see you back.”

Sven was touched since Kolivan was not exactly the demonstrative type. He thanked him and left with Lance and Keith. Their craft, or at least Sven like to think it was theirs since they had basically set up residence in it, was docked at one of the ports since it was too large to fit in the hangars. They walked through the set of airlocks and into the craft and it was the closest feeling Sven had to coming home since they’d left Earth about a year ago. It was honestly hard to gauge the passage of time out in space, and Altean measurements were obviously different than Terran. Like some kind of cosmic joke, Sven’s mind often refused to grasp their concepts and terms of time, despite the fact he was somewhat well versed in astronomy and physics.

When they arrived on the bridge, Sven was once again tackle hugged as Pidge threw herself at him enthusiastically. She withdrew babbling about how happy she was to see him and Sven noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Hunk soon greeted him similarly and looking just as worn out.

“How long have you been at it?” he asked.

“I don’t know…we haven’t been able to rest much since we caught wind of your injury,” said Pidge with a shrug. “We’ve been in here sifting through files for about five, maybe six vargas.”

“Sounds about right,” said Hunk rubbing his eyes. “Everything is starting to look the same.”

“God, I’m hungry,” complained Pidge.

At that moment, Sven’s stomach seemed to take the verbal cue and growled loudly. He blushed and covered his abdomen with his arms.

“Okay, that’s it! I’m going to go make us something to eat,” declared Hunk leaping to his feet and dashing off the bridge before Pidge could protest.

“I’m gonna go help him,” said Lance, walking away. “Don’t worry, Sven, we’ll feed you soon so you can get some rest.”

“Thanks for the concern, guys!” called Pidge sarcastically. “It’s not like I’m hungry too…”

“I’m sure they’ll bring all of us something to eat, Pidge,” said Sven, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing a great job, keep it up.”

Pidge smiled thinly at him over her shoulder, then returned to watching endless lines of text and numbers scroll by on several screens plus HUDs.

“Hey, Sven, can I talk to you?” asked Keith, who for the most part had been quiet.

Keith jerked his head in the direction of a corridor indicating he wanted Sven to follow him. They walked for a short distance before stopping in what could be best described as a small lounge area. It had a circular section of cushioned seats with a dome shaped window overhead for what Sven knew to be excellent viewing. Random members of the team could often be found at one of the two of these areas getting much needed R&R, even though the craft did have a larger lounge on its top deck that had an even better view. Keith promptly sank down onto a seat and looked up expectantly to Sven.

Sven briefly considered sitting across from Keith but decided against it, feeling the distance would be too impersonal in that case. The craft had been built to accommodate Galrans and from what Sven had been told they were quite tall. Because of this, the chairs, doorways, counters, and beds were a bit larger than average. Antok in particular had stated many times that he loved it, constantly finding excuses to hang out in it while docked.

Keith seemed pleased when Sven sat down next to him, and slowly reached out to grab Sven’s hand. He opened his mouth to ask Keith what he wanted to talk about but noticed he had his head hung and was trembling, overgrown bangs shielding his face.

“I thought I lost you again,” said Keith, his voice wavering slightly. A few wet spots hit his pant legs and he squeezed Sven’s hand.

“Hey, hey, don’t do that,” said Sven moving his free hand to tilt Keith’s face towards him. He wiped a tear away with his thumb. “I’m fine, it’s okay.”

“It is _not_ okay!” shouted Keith, releasing Sven’s hand and turning his body towards him. Fresh tears started to stream down his cheeks. “Nothing about that was okay! You…you promised you would be more careful!”

Sven sighed. “I try to be. It’s not like I want to get injured or killed, but more importantly, I have a duty to protect my team.”

“That alternate version of Lance is _not_ part of our team!”

Sven winced as Keith’s words seemed to bounce off the dark walls surrounding them. Keith’s chest was heaving, tears still flowing, violet eyes wild with some emotion Sven struggled to identify. Was it concern, jealousy, disappointment? He couldn’t tell and it definitely seemed more complex than anger, but he did know that he had to calm Keith down. Sven found his tendency to cry while frustrated endearing most of the time but that was clearly not one of those occasions.

“How could you do that?” said Keith, voice stuttering on a sob. “Why…why would you-“

“Shhhh, come here,” soothed Sven pulling Keith into a hug despite some initial resistance. “I’m sorry, Keith…but he looked just like our Lance. My body moved before I knew what I was doing. You know I would’ve done the same for you, right? Any version of you, to be honest.”

Keith nodded into his shoulder as he clung to him tightly. His sobs had receded as quickly as they started and he breathed more evenly with each passing minute in Sven’s embrace. Sven idly stroked Keith’s hair, noting the longest parts now fell below his shoulders.

“Hey, this is a touching scene and all, but you’re not really pissed off that Sven saved what was basically a version of me, are you, Keith?” said Lance, startling both men.

Keith withdrew from Sven, scrubbing at his face with his jacket sleeve. “Yes, I am pissed about that because it _wasn’t_ you. He may have had your face but he wasn’t you. Also thanks for eavesdropping, ass.”

“Thanks for talking behind my back and wishing I got shot instead, jerk,” shot back Lance.

“This isn’t about you!” said Keith leaping to his feet and approaching Lance. “If that had been you, there wouldn’t have been a damn issue, because you wouldn’t have been sloppy enough to get shot in the first place!”

“Damn straight, I- wait a minute,” Lance paused, “did you just compliment me?”

“I mean not really, but maybe?” Keith looked confused, eyes flitting back to Sven for a moment. “Listen, my point is that I wouldn’t have minded at all if it was you…but it wasn’t. That person was a stranger to us, and I don’t have to like the idea of Sven dying for him.”

Lance sighed and shook his head. “Alright, fair enough. Food’s ready. Let’s go eat.”

Hunk and Lance had managed to whip up some form of sandwiches with bread-like and meat-like substances they had picked up at the last outpost. Glop was the standard affair when it came to food, but Hunk refused to accept it as the only source of their dietary intake. There was only so many ways a pile of goo could be served, and spices helped but still left much to be desired.

“This kinda tastes like chicken,” commented Pidge with her mouth full. “Or maybe turkey. I’m not sure.”

“I don’t think it tastes like either of those things,” said Lance chewing his bite thoughtfully.

“Do you know what kind of creature this came from?” asked Pidge to Hunk. “Was it bird-like?”

Hunk shrugged. “No idea. I think it tastes like alligator!”

The comment riled everyone up, except for Sven who had just finished his sandwich and was feeling incredibly drowsy. Keith noticed and shook his shoulder gently.

“Hey, go get some rest, Sven,” he said quietly. “This is probably going to take a while. I’ll come get you when we find something.”

Sven nodded and left the bridge after telling everyone “goodnight”, which always felt kind of strange out in space. Stepping foot back into his room felt immensely comforting. All of his personal belongings were there, from pictures to clothes to the area rug he had picked up at some swap moon because it reminded him of Norway. His adoptive family always had clutter and knickknacks in their house, so it made him feel better to have some surrounding him.

He kicked his boots off into a corner and collapsed onto his bed. Sleep came easy to him for a change and his slumber was dreamless, or at least he didn’t remember dreaming. He woke to Keith shaking him some undetermined amount of hours later.

“We found it! Come on, Kolivan wants to talk to us before he leaves.”

After Sven sat up and Keith helped him to his feet, he realized how damn tired he still felt. He let out a groan and rubbed at his eyes.

“Do we still have some of that space coffee left?” he asked as he tugged on his boots, almost falling over in the process.

“The caf? I think so. Do you need some? I’ll go make it,” said Keith, placing a stabilizing hand on Sven’s shoulder as he finally yanked on his second boot and strapped it tight.

“Let’s go talk to the Leader first. I’m sure he’s on a timetable.”

Keith nodded and they made their way to the bridge. Pidge was staring blankly into the distance with her head propped on an upturned hand. Kolivan and Antok were there scrutinizing a HUD that looked like it had a solar system on it.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” said Kolivan gesturing for everyone to gather around him. Using his two index fingers he swiped at the HUD and zoomed the map in to display two planets. “This is the planet King Zarkon hid Prince Lotor on.”

“How have the Alteans not found this place in ten thousand years?” asked Lance.

“Let me guess,” slurred Pidge perking up minimally. “Uncharted system, no natural resources, vast, desolate planet, etcetera.”

“Partially correct,” said Kolivan. “This system is most certainly charted, but there’s nothing significant about it. The planet’s name is Crotyk and it has had a few civilizations over time, but due to lack of resources they left it long ago. Currently it only contains a questionable trading outpost.”

“How do we know this isn’t a trap?” asked Hunk.

“Oh my god, are you serious?” said Pidge, then yawned. “You were here with me going through those files and you know how well hidden this information was. The only reason we even found it at all is because you happened to see that discrepancy in the coding for the nitrogen regulators.”

“Pretty sure if this was a trap, Slav would’ve already given us a dismal percentage rating,” said Sven with a sour expression.

“That is true,” said Antok with a similarly sour expression.

“I would like your team to head out to the Naess system as soon as possible,” said Kolivan turning his piercing blue eyes on Sven. “Optimally, I would like Hunk or Pidge to stay and help Slav with the construction of his device, but I’m leaving the decision to you.”

“Given the gravity of this mission, I would prefer if we stayed together, in case something goes wrong,” said Sven.

“Um…if they really need me here, I wouldn’t mind staying,” said Hunk. “Getting the device built is just as important as finding the prince.”

“Can I stay too?” asked Pidge. “I need to sleep and the coordinates can be programmed. Lance can get you there, no problem.”

“I don’t know about this…” said Sven, rubbing his eyes again.

“Sven, it’s okay,” said Kolivan, this time resting a hand on his shoulder more confidently. “All things considered, this mission should be safe. We’ve tracked no suspicious activity from the Alteans and they are currently nowhere near the Naess system.”

“What if he’s in a facility or holding cell we can’t get into?” persisted Sven. “Pidge would be the only one capable of hacking into it.”

“This will open it,” said Pidge standing and shoving a small object into Sven’s hand. “Its location was also hidden in the same files with no explanation and I had to crawl into the ducts to find it. I’m like 200 percent positive it’ll open up whatever the hell the prince is locked in.”

“But-“

“There’s also these wonderful things called comm. systems you can use if you get stuck,” said Pidge already walking off the bridge. “You’ll do fine, I have the utmost confidence in your abilities…oh yeah, and you’re welcome!”

Sven looked to Lance and Keith with a lost expression before turning his gaze down to the small device in his hands. It was like the mission to find Zarkon’s craft all over again…only that time they were actually doing so in Zarkon’s craft. He almost laughed, feeling a bit delirious from exhaustion.

“We’ll be fine,” said Keith as he walked over to his station and pulled up a HUD.

“Totally fine,” said Lance doing the same. “The coordinates are already here. Go get some more rest, Sven. We’ll wake you up when we get close to the system.”

Sven did not have the energy to argue, so he merely nodded and trudged off the bridge back to his room. He was asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow. When he woke up again, he felt groggy but well rested. The low level hum of the engines was a welcome constant as he got out of bed and stretched. The first truly coherent thought that came to mind was how grimy he felt, so he grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the showers. He made sure to bring the small device with him as well, figuring it would be smart to keep it on his person at all times.

The hot water felt heavenly and Sven helped himself to Lance’s collection of foreign soaps, sniffing a few new bottles before selecting one. He stayed in the stall for an irresponsible length of time, letting all the stress of the last three or four days melt off him in the warm spray. He eventually forced himself to get out and dressed, ditching his dirty clothes in his locker before making his way to the galley.

There was caf and left over bread, which made a decent breakfast, though the only indication of time of day was the craft’s chronometer. Sven thought keeping routines like that was important for morale and sanity, even if they often passed by unnoticed. He fixed himself one more cup of space coffee and wandered onto the bridge, leaving the remainder for someone else. The “coffee maker” was odd and fancy, but would keep the caf warm for a long while without burning it, and that was something he had learned from experience.

The bridge was empty, which wasn’t all that uncommon considering the sophisticated autopilot system. They often tried to sleep in shifts and man the bridge at all times, but sometimes it was impractical, especially during or after missions. Pidge had strongly suggested several times that they get an android to help with mundane tasks like repairs and flying the craft, but Lance had shot the idea down time and time again. She promised she would program it not to step on his toes, but he still refused.  

Sven sat down at his station, which was to the back and right of Lance’s pilot console in the front. He sipped caf from his admittedly ugly looking mug and glanced back to where the raised platform sat, still unused. They never had figured out how the wormhole activated when they made the initial jump out of their solar system, or whose energy got them through. Pidge, Hunk, and Slav had theories but no concrete evidence to support them. Sven particularly liked the ones involving space magic.

Kolivan had actually attempted to use it a few times, along with Antok, Ulaz, and Thace. None seemed to possess the right energy to activate the wormhole using the platform. Slav thought it may be an error in the system or some kind of failsafe installed before Zarkon hid the craft. Kolivan thought it was simply because they did not possess enough magical energy. Wormholing took a significant amount of energy and a specific type at that. As the Empire grew, the Alteans began to have issues finding enough individuals that could jump their large cruisers for the same reason. The issue seemed to have resolved itself to some degree over time, but whispered rumors told that the current empress still worried about it.

So, besides finding someone to operate Slav’s new device, finding the Galran prince would also solve their wormholing problem, giving them a much needed advantage. The pressure was most certainly on them and Sven prayed to every god and goddess he could remember that they succeeded. A diffuse red nebula drifted into view and he stared out at it, meditated on success for a long moment, and then realized he actually had no idea what the prince looked like.

Immediately after a Norwegian curse passed Sven’s lips, Lance strolled onto the bridge still in his pajamas and sipping a cup of caf.

“Hey, buddy, what’s up?” he said walking over to his seat and looking at the navigation readouts on the HUD. “Sleep well? Oh! That’s pretty. If only they were as bright as the pictures, huh?”

“Yeah, I did. How about you?” asked Sven as Lance walked up the viewport and stared out at the nebula.

“Can’t complain,” shrugged Lance before taking his seat. He swiped at the screens a couple times and hummed thoughtfully. “Better go wake up sleeping beauty soon if he doesn’t on his own. I know he’s been exhausted. He’d pretty much been sustaining himself on nervous energy since we heard about your injury. I told him to go crash shortly after you did.”

Sven felt a stab of guilt and stood up suddenly. “I’ll go wake him up.”

“Good luck!” called Lance after him as he left the bridge. “Maybe bring some caf with you as a peace offering?”

It was really no secret that Keith was notoriously grouchy when he woke up. In fact, by that point it was a well established fact, and everybody made sure to give him a wide berth for at least thirty minutes after he woke up. So, Sven decided to do the smart thing and grabbed a cup of caf on the way to Keith’s room. All Keith liked in it was a little sweetener, which was close to sugar but not quite the same. He made a vague attempt to knock but received no response and resorted to just letting himself in.

The room was dark and Sven cautiously tiptoed into it, hoping he wouldn’t trip over something. Keith did not keep many personal items in his room, though, so his worries were fairly unfounded. Sven set the caf on the small desks each room had and listened to Keith’s soft snoring. Normally, Keith was a light sleeper so the fact he was still out cold proved he was exhausted. He moved over to the bed and turned on the low magenta lights embedded in the wall around the enclave.

“Hey…hey, Keith, it’s time to wake up,” said Sven after kneeling next to the bed. He cautiously laid a hand on Keith’s back after receiving no response and shook him lightly.

Keith groaned and weakly attempted to shake off the hand. The blanket only half covered Keith’s body and his dark hair was a rats nest around his head, obscuring most of his face. Sven bit back a chuckle at how cute and utterly average the scenario was and shook him a bit harder. He was really tempting the fates now.

“Gooooood, fuck oooooff,” whined Keith swatting the hand away with more purpose now. He shoved the hair out of his face to reveal a scowl.

Sven stared back with a poorly concealed smile and that lessened Keith’s scowl to a frown. “I brought you space coffee,” he said already moving away to retrieve the mug.

Keith scooted himself into a sitting position apparently still unwilling to have any type of conversation. Sven sat on the edge of the bed and handed the mug over. They sat in amiable silence until whatever passed for caffeine in the caf started to do its job.

“Thanks,” said Keith, finally. “We there yet?”

Sven shook his head. “No, but we must be close by now. I’ll let you get ready.”

Lance was relieved to see Sven return to the bridge unharmed and cracked a bad joke about it. Sven laughed anyways and soon enough Keith joined them fresh from the shower and munching on a piece of bread…or whatever that stuff really was.

“We’re almost to the Naess system, so we should probably suit up,” said Lance rechecking the navigation.

“The only crafts I’m picking up are cargo freighters and an old shuttle probably headed to the outpost,” said Keith after bringing up his HUD. “This system is as backwater as they get.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” said Sven. “I don’t even want to think about how hard this would’ve been if the prince was hidden in a well known Altean system. Come on, guys, let’s get ready. The sooner we get this over with the better I’ll feel.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Crotyk turned out to be a desert planet and Lance had to make Star Wars references because of it. They put their craft into orbit and got into two of the four fighters that were aboard. They hadn’t used them for much else but ferrying back and forth to the surface of planets and the occasional decoy, but Pidge had informed them they did have weapons and could probably “do cool shit”. They did look pretty cool, sporting much of the same style that the larger craft did, and they hadn’t failed to notice how fast they were.

The atmosphere of the planet was breathable but not on a level Sven was willing to risk his crew’s health for. They put on their helmets after touching down and stepped out into the arid, barren wasteland grateful to be shielded from the sand whipping around them. The sky above had a sickly yellow tinge to it and the sun blared hot and bright.

“Where is this place?” asked Keith, shielding his eyes to scan the terrain.

“We should practically be on top of it according to the coordinates,” said Sven gazing out at the sea of sand.

“There! Look!” shouted Lance pointing.

In the distance a lone pillar jut forth from the sand, barely noticeable against the backdrop of the desert. It was literally the only thing to be seen, so they started walking towards it. The sand made for slow and difficult walking and Sven almost considered telling everyone to go back to the fighters and take them closer. They arrived at the pillar and took a moment to catch their breath.

“It’s a lot bigger than it looked back there,” commented Lance looking up at the massive structure. The sun glared around the top corner, dazzling him for a moment.

“I wonder how it hasn’t been completely covered by now.” Sven ran his hand over the ancient stone, noticing several seams but not much else.

“I’m willing to bet we’re just lucky enough to catch it before it was completely buried,” said Keith joining Sven in exploring the stone.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Sven pulled the device from a compartment in his suit. “Here goes everything.”

After a dramatic pause, Sven pushed the only button on the device. It almost seemed too archaic for all of the technologically advanced things they were surrounded with those days. The ground beneath them started to rumble and the stone started to shift. A hidden door slide away and the structure opened up before them revealing darkness within.  

They stepped inside without hesitation and within seconds, violet lights started to illuminate their path. A stairway led them down for a long while before plateauing and breaking off into three separate paths. They exchanged concerned glances before the one on the left lit up. Sven shrugged and led the way, which twisted and turned for longer than he expected or felt comfortable with. At that rate he wondered if they’d ever get out.

The relatively narrow corridors finally opened up into a large chamber. It was plain and scarcely lit making it difficult to tell what was in its depths. If it was a trap they probably would’ve sprang it at that moment. Thankfully, nothing happened and Keith thought to switch on his helmet’s light and look around. It swept over a raised console, which appeared to be the only thing in the massive room. Sven and Lance followed him over to it.

“Well…now what?” asked Lance as they stared at the dark screen on the console.

Though the technology they were staring at was ancient by current standards, it was still fairly new to them. Below the screen was a hollow space and the shape of it seemed familiar. Sven looked down at his hand where the device was still clutched and the answer dawned on him. He placed it carefully into the hollow slot and it latched with a soft click. The screen immediately lit up and displayed some text in a language that looked exactly like the Galran from the craft.

A louder click sounded followed by a pop and hiss, startling everyone and causing them to scramble away from the console. They watched, hands hovering over the blasters at their hips as steam rose from the floor and two objects started to ascend. As the steam cleared, they saw two tube-like objects that looked similar to their healing pods. They hadn’t even begun to approach the pods when their barriers suddenly dissolved.

Lance rushed forward to catch one of the figures that stumbled out before they fell. Long white hair trailed behind the alien as they fell into Lance’s arms and groaned. He turned to check on the second one and noticed a woman -for lack of a better term- staggering out of the pod, but she managed to stay upright. Sven and Keith walked up and asked if they were okay before Lance could even think to speak.

The person that finally gazed up at them was probably the prince. He had smooth lilac colored skin and searching, blue eyes that appeared nearly black when darting away from the light. His features were narrow and well proportioned, stereotypically regal, and his body lithe and dressed in strange armor. The woman had petite features but fierce eyes and short dark purple hair.

“Let him go!” she suddenly bellowed startling everyone once again.

“Who are you people?” asked the prince. He squinted against the light on Keith’s helmet and he politely shut it off. “Did my father send you?”

“Um…about that,” started Lance, but was interrupted by the woman marching up to him and yanking Lotor of his arms. “Hey!”

“We’re not your enemies,” said Sven, tugging off his helmet. “We’re rebels fighting against the Altean Empire and we were sent to retrieve you for our cause.”

“What happened to my father…my mother? What of our people?” asked Lotor.

“Prince Lotor, your empire and most of its people were destroyed by the Alteans ten thousand years ago,” said Keith. Straightforward as usual.

“Let me guess,” said Lotor after taking a moment to digest the information. “I was put in stasis to preserve the bloodline.”

“That’s right and I suggest that we not linger too much longer, just in case,” said Sven turning to leave.

“How do we know we can trust you?” asked the woman.

“Acxa, please,” said Lotor giving her a disapproving look. “Besides, does it really look like we have a choice to stay behind? I bet the atmosphere is barely breathable since these men have kept their helmets on.”

“Or they didn’t want to be shot in the head,” said the woman, Acxa, rolling her eyes.

“This planet and system are pretty desolate,” said Keith following Sven. “You can stay behind if you want but I doubt you’ll make it long.”

Lance shrugged and walked off, causing Lotor to nod towards them as he looked at Acxa. She let out an indignant huff and started heading towards the exit. Lotor gave the pods one last glance before bringing up the rear.

“I wonder if they saved her too,” he mumbled to himself, and only Acxa noticed, frowning with concern.

The trip out of the facility seemed much shorter than the journey in and thankfully they didn’t get lost. Lotor had no memory of it or the planet for that matter. He had heard of the system but no empire was really concerned with its existence. There was concern about whether Lotor and Acxa could walk to the fighters without helmets, but they made it to them fine. Sven took Lotor and Acxa in his since she refused to let them be split up.

“These are Galran fighters…does that mean-“ Lotor trailed off as they approached the craft still locked in orbit. “You have it,” he finished in a reverent whisper.

“It was the first mission the Guns of Gamara gave me,” said Sven glancing over to Lotor, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. “We retrieved it from my home planet, Earth. The Guns spent a long time trying to find it and finally located it there. It also contained the location of the facility you were hidden in, buried in files. Oh yeah, and a device that acted as a key hidden in the ducts.”

“Yes, this one,” said Lotor lifting his hand and showing the device Sven had carelessly left in the console.

Sven nodded. “Oh good, you got it.”

“This device is probably a key to other things besides that facility.” Lotor smirked as he hid the device somewhere in his suit. “Thank you for rescuing me, young warrior. I’m intensely curious about what happened over these last ten thousand years and what we’re going to do about the current plague upon the universe.”       

“My name is Sven, and you’re welcome, Prince Lotor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting the ball rolling! This reality is very fun to write~
> 
> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated! ♡
> 
> *whispers* I really want to sketch Altean Kolivan, Ulaz, Antok and Thace 
> 
> [Here's](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) my VLD side blog if you wanna chat or scream!


	3. Ch 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To save my sanity, I’m only using the weird Altean time measurements when characters are talking.
> 
> HUD = Heads-up Display
> 
> Conservator = Fridge
> 
> (yes, I peppered this with Star Wars terms…)
> 
> I like this chapter

### Chapter 2

 

Lotor had shed a few tears upon once again seeing the craft, well preserved and safely out of Altean hands. He told them its name was Veda and it would forever be a shining memory and beloved heirloom of the lost Galran Empire. When Lance went to set the base’s coordinates, Lotor stepped onto the platform with practiced ease and put his hands out, palms downward. Two long pillars emerged from the floor, much like the controls at the pilot console.

“So you really can use that thing,” said Keith as he took his seat.

“Of course I can,” said Lotor placing his hands on the pillars. They lit up upon contact, as did the crystal above his head. “I’ve been doing this since I was tall enough to reach the contacts. Are the coordinates set, pilot?”

“The name’s Lance, and yeah, they’re set.” Lance peered over his shoulder briefly taking in the sight of someone actually using the platform for once.

“Thank you, Lance,” said Lotor, then closed his eyes.

The pillars -or contacts as Lotor had called them- started to glow brightly and the crystal flickered with magenta light, before obtaining a steady luminescence. Through the viewport they witnessed a small distortion that pulsed and expanded into a large, swirling vortex. Lance moved the craft forward, and they were abruptly sucked into it, space moving so rapidly past them that it appeared to be multicolored blurs in a tunnel. It was just like the time they moved through one after retrieving the craft.

In a matter of seconds, the Veda emerged in the system containing the Guns of Gamara base, Arvath. Lotor smiled, pleased the craft was still functioning well. He stepped off the platform with unsteady legs, stumbling once only to have Acxa catch his arm and stabilize him.

“Well, it appears I’m out of practice after all,” he said as Acxa led him to a seat and gently shoved him down onto it.

“Given the circumstances, it’s completely understandable,” said Lance gently shifting the pilot levers forward. “Don’t push yourself too hard, I can take us in from here.”

Minutes -or dobashes- later they approached Arvath and Lotor stared at it confused. “This is a moon,” he stated, eyeing Keith and Sven suspiciously.

Lance shot Lotor a cheeky grin. “Just watch.”

“We’re all good, no suspicious crafts out there,” said Keith after checking his HUD.

Lance nodded took the craft closer as a voice came through the comm. speakers.

“Welcome back, guys. I take it your mission was successful since you’re not yelling at me.”

“Everything went according to plan, Pidge. How are things on your end?” asked Sven.

“Great, actually! We’ve already started building the device and with any luck should be able to install it in about a quintent or two.”  

“Fantastic,” said Lance as the dilating hatch started to open. He eased the craft inside the barrier and docked it at a port.

“This is a fascinating design.” Lotor walked towards the viewport and stared out at the inside of the barrier with awe. “No enemy would even look at this twice from the outside.”

“Even if they did our sensors wouldn’t let on anything is out of the ordinary,” said Pidge through the comm. “Kolivan and Antok aren’t back yet but I sent Hunk and Thace to greet you at the airlock.”

“Thanks, Pidge,” said Sven.

Everyone filed off the bridge and to the elevators, finally making it to the airlock. When the chamber finally hissed open, Hunk and Thace were standing on the other side both dressed in their Guns of Gamara uniforms. They waited until Lotor approached and bowed.

“Welcome to Arvath, Prince Lotor,” said Thace. “It’s wonderful to see that you are alive and well.”

“Yes, welcome!” Hunk reached out to shake hands, and only acted mildly startled when Lotor grabbed his forearm instead. “My name is Hunk and this is Thace.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Hunk and Thace,” said Lotor. “As you already know, I’m Prince Lotor of the Galran Empire and this is my trusted advisor, General Acxa.”

“Sweet, um…I would love to stay and chat but I’m sure you’re starving, so I’m off to help start dinner.” Hunk waved apologetically as he walked away.

“Please, follow me,” said Thace, sweeping over everyone with his amber eyes. He turned on his heel and started walking down the corridor. “I must also apologize for the lack of formal greeting. Our leader is currently out on a mission but he’s expected to return shortly.”

“That’s fine.” Lotor fell into step beside Thace. “I’m impressed with this base. Who designed it to so closely imitate a moon?”

“That’s who we’re going to see right now,” said Thace, casting Lotor a weary glance. “He’s…an interesting creature, to say the least.”

“Interesting is one way to put it,” muttered Sven with a roll of his eyes.

The group soon arrived at a large lab that looked like it had been struck by a wind storm. There were random machine parts, wires, and tools scattered everywhere, along with empty drink cups and food wrappers. Incessant, low level chatter was coming from the center of the room but nobody could see it well enough to tell who the voices belonged to. They had pretty good guesses, though.

“How’s it going?” asked Thace cautiously navigating his way around numerous and occasionally large pieces of gutted machinery. Everyone followed his path equally as cautious.

“Good! Great, actually!” called Slav peeking up from behind some junk. “We just need to add roughly twenty more components and fine tune it before attempting to install it in the craft.”

“Do you mean the Veda?” Lotor came to a stop before Slav and Pidge hunched over a large device lying on the floor.

“Is that what your craft is called?” asked Slav. “Veda…Veda…I like it!”

“It has a name?” asked Pidge. “Why didn’t I find it after sifting through like most of its code?”

“Well, it was kind of an informal name,” mumbled Lotor. “Father let me name it but never officially designated it…”

“Awww, that’s cute.” Pidge smiled before hunching back over the device with a tool in hand.

“So what is this thing and who are these people?” asked Lotor.

Thace introduced Pidge and Slav then explained the device to Lotor and Acxa. He also informed them of Sven and Slav’s failed mission where they encountered the anomaly and Voltron. Lotor listened intently, nodding periodically.

“You okay with this then?” asked Pidge, only glancing up briefly before Slav yelled at her to pay attention.

“Of course.” Lotor knelt down in front of the device. “Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to travel to other dimensions? But are you sure this won’t rip us to shreds instead?”

“For the most part,” said Slav with a shrug. “There’s a 22.7 percent chance it may fail or put you in an unstable dimensional pocket, but that’s pretty low all things considered.”

Lance laughed nervously. “Yeah, I’d prefer that percentage to go down lower, if possible.”

“Imagine the things we could see or the unknown resources we could tap into,” said Lotor, stroking his chin in thought.

“Or the horrible death we could suffer,” offered Lance. “Or even the horrible creatures! Anything’s possible!”

“Knock it off, Lance,” said Sven elbowing him lightly.

“Prince Lotor, General Acxa, I’m sure you’re tired and hungry,” said Thace. “I can show you to your quarters and then the showers so you can freshen up before the meal.”

“That’s nice but unnecessary,” said Lotor, standing and brushing off the cloth that hung from his armor. “If it’s okay with all of you, I’d like to see my quarters on the Veda. That is, if you haven’t raided it and tossed out my belongings.”

“There were a few rooms that we left alone,” said Keith. “Including the biggest one, which I had to convince Lance not to take.”

“Hey!” Lance shot Keith a dirty look. “How was I supposed to know someone could’ve survived ten thousand years to take it back!”

“Good point, but I’m happy it’s intact nonetheless,” said Lotor starting to weave his way around various objects as he left the room. He stopped to look back at Keith with narrowed eyes. “And who are you, young warrior? I do not believe we were properly introduced.”

“My name’s Keith, and honestly, I’m nobody.”

“Oh, you hush now!” Lance shoved Keith playfully towards the exit. “His name is Keith Kogane and he’s a beloved member of our team. Please forgive his grumpy, occasionally antisocial behavior. Also best to avoid him in the morning for the first like thirty dobashes.”

“We’ll walk you back to the craf-um, the Veda,” said Sven as they emerged into the corridor. “It’s kind of become our home so we generally feel more comfortable there too.”

“Splendid, thank you.” Lotor gestured for one of them to lead the way.

Walking back into his room after what felt like days but was in reality countless years was surreal to Lotor. Thankfully, Acxa’s room was intact too, though it had significantly less personal belongings in it. Lotor’s room was more spacious than the rest and had the added luxury of its own shower. Pidge had figured that out mere days after they found it and often made use of it to avoid the communal showers.

After removing his armor and suit and stepping into the shower stall, Lotor realized that his soaps had evaporated. He sighed heavily and tugged on a robe to ask one of the strange aliens for some. He’d barely made it out of the bathroom when the chime sounded indicating someone was at the door. He didn’t know who he had expected, but it certainly wasn’t the person standing there as the door swished open.

“Hiiii, sorry to bother you but I figured you may need these.” Lance held up a small container filled with various bottles of soaps. One of the items looked like a scrubbing implement, or so Lotor hoped.

“Thank you,” said Lotor taking the container from Lance and sifting through a few items. He chuckled softly. “Oh my, this brand’s still around. How lovely.”

“No problem,” said Lance shifting on his feet as he slyly checked out Lotor’s casual appearance. It was distracting how much of his body Lance could make out beneath the poorly tied, thin robe. “I gave one to Acxa too but she didn’t seem very happy about it.”

“Give her some time,” said Lotor, meeting Lance’s eyes, which he noted had strayed. “As you can imagine, this has been a rough transition for us. I’m sure she appreciated the gesture.”

“It’s been rough for all of us, but yeah, I understand. Sorry for the intrusion, see you on the bridge, yeah?”

“Of course, thank you again, Lance.”

Lotor watched as Lance strolled away and thought maybe the aliens weren’t so strange after all. In fact, he was starting to genuinely like them. They still had hideous ears, but he wouldn’t hold that against them. He went back to his shower to get ready for whatever else the day would bring.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner was held in the base’s mess hall, and Hunk along with a few other Gun members had made an elaborate meal. Though they were reluctant to leave their project, Pidge and Slav joined them. Lotor and Acxa had joined them and looked a little tense to be surrounded by so many of their sworn enemies. Most of the Guns of Gamara were at least half Altean and were appalled by what their Empire did in the name of peace. Taking away free will was no way to rule.

“Don’t worry, they’re good people, er aliens?” said Hunk as quietly as he could manage, practically leaning over Sven’s plate.

Sven sighed and nudged his plate out of the way. “They really are. They’ve saved my life more times than I can count now.”

“You know, there was a time when our two empires were very close,” said Lotor picking at the remainder of his food. “The breakdown in relations…it seemed to happen so fast. Lifelong friends turned against each other, betrayal, and death. All over what was preached as a means to an end, for peace.”

“That’s heavy,” said Hunk, shaking his head.

“Indeed.” Lotor dropped his utensil and suddenly stood up. “Thank you very much for the meal, friends. I’m sorry to leave so abruptly, but I am weary and would like to rest. I’m sure we have much work to do soon.”

“I’ll show you to the Veda,” said Keith standing up after Acxa moved to Lotor’s side.

“That’s not necessary.” Lotor turned to leave, and Acxa was not far behind.

“I insist,” said Keith stalking out after them.

Sven looked back from the exit to see three set of confused eyes on him, but all he could do in response was shrug. He’d known Keith longer than everyone else but he still seemed like a mystery wrapped in an enigma sometimes. Sven made a mental note to ask him what was up later.

“It’s not Zarkon’s craft, is it?” asked Keith as they walked down the corridor towards the airlock.

“Pardon?” Lotor stared evenly into the distance.

“We were told that was King Zarkon’s craft, but he doesn’t even have a room on it,” said Keith. “And if it was his personal craft, considering the precious and rare material it’s made out of, wouldn’t he have taken it into battle? It certainly would’ve improved his odds of surviving longer.”

Lotor was silent until they reached the airlock. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards Keith. “You’re very perceptive, young warrior,” he said as he took a step forward, invading Keith’s personal space to stare directly into his eyes. “I don’t see why that information is important anyways. Who cares who it originally belonged to as long as it suits your rebellion’s purposes?”

“It’s your rebellion now too.” Keith held his ground despite the fact Lotor was obviously trying to assess and or intimidate him. Lotor’s stature and menacing stare definitely generated an imposing presence, but he pointedly ignored it.  

“Is it?” asked Lotor with a small smile. “I’ll be the one to decide that. After what I’ve been through, my trust will not be given away easily. It must be earned.”

“Fair enough.” Keith glanced at Acxa and noticed she was leaning against the wall inspecting her nails. Her obvious lack of concern probably meant the prince knew his way around self defense. “But you know that trust thing goes two ways, and being honest with each other is usually the first step.”

“You first then,” said Lotor, not missing a beat. “Are you sure you’re being completely honest with your team?”

“What are you implying?” snapped Keith, starting to feel his patience fraying around the edges.

“Nothing at all.” Lotor put up his hands and backed away. “It’s a good thing we’re getting this test run mission. It will give us all a chance to bond before the real trouble begins. Let’s see how honest we can be, shall we?”

Keith watched as Lotor and Acxa disappeared behind the airlock doors. He eventually shook his head and stomped off. There was no way that Lotor knew anything about him. He was definitely bluffing for the sake of getting a rise out of Keith. He repeated the phrase in his head a couple more times to convince himself it was true.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sven looked all over the Veda for Keith after everyone had dispersed for the evening. He wasn’t in any of his normal places, so he figured he may be somewhere on the base instead. Arvath was large, so searching for him could take some time, but he had it to kill anyways. Fifteen minutes into his exploring and he found Keith sitting in the smaller observatory staring up through the dome. Sven said nothing, just sat down next to Keith and stared upwards with him.

The dome lined up with one of the moon barrier’s icy craters, so the space beyond it was mostly visible. The giant planet they were locked in orbit of dominated the view, with its gaseous atmosphere swirling gently in yellow and blue tinted clouds. It still seemed surreal to be able to look at celestial bodies so casually.      

“What’s the name of that planet again?” asked Sven, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Troma,” answered Keith before redirecting his gaze towards Sven.

“Right, Troma.” Sven hadn’t forgotten and Keith probably knew that, but it gave him an opening. “What happened earlier? Why did you walk Prince Lotor and Acxa to the Veda?”

“Just a hunch,” shrugged Keith, leaning back on the sectional and returning his gaze to the heavens. “I’m still working out some theories.”

“Do you think we can trust him?” Sven had his own hunch that trust was exactly what their conversation had been about.

“Well, he didn’t take off with the craft when he had the chance, so maybe.” Keith frowned slightly. “Though, honestly he has more to gain by waiting. If he’s really going to ditch us, it’ll be after we get that device up and working.”  

Sven sank down onto his back, deflating like a popped balloon. “I can’t even think about that right now. We need him to make this mission work and the craft is rightfully his, even if we’ve been using it as a home…” He trailed off with a sad expression.

“It’s just a ship, Sven,” said Keith. It wasn’t the correct term but he hardly looked like he cared at that moment. “We can find another one and make it ours.”

“Yeah…you’re right. That does make me feel better, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” A sudden yawn escaped Sven and he realized how exhausted he had become once again.

Keith chuckled and stood up to loom over Sven’s reclined form. “Come on, big guy, let’s get some rest before the madness ensues.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Her ashen hair cascaded in curls down her back, strands drifting in the gentle breeze. It sat in high contrast to her bronze skin, which Lotor had always loved. That and her sharp, clear blue eyes. He had watched her grow up at a distance, admiring her beauty, strength, and passion. His parents had urged him to spend more time with her, but he had always been nervous to do so, afraid that she may reject his company if he forced too much upon her.

As hard as he tried to grow closer to her, he always felt like he was staring at her back. She surged forward every chance she got, taking every opportunity to advance her father’s empire and his agendas. It was admirable until it was worrisome, before eventually settling into terrifying. By the end, he barely recognized her as the person he knew.

But he still dreamt of her as he once knew her. Determined, quirky, compassionate, and ethereal. The princess of his heart.

She turned her head to peer at him over her shoulder, eyes cold and hard. When he gazed at the floor deep red blood pooled around her feet, slowly spreading outwards. Gripped in her right hand was a blade, dripping the same blood into the puddle.

“You shouldn’t have come, Lotor,” she said. “I don’t want to kill you too.”

Despite the fear running through his veins like ice water, he stepped forward to see the body lying crumpled at her feet. He immediately recognized it as his father and opened his mouth to say something but could not force out any sound.

“I’ll give you a running start, how about that?” She turned her head away from him once again. “I won’t look. Run.”

He took a few stumbling steps backwards more because the blood was catching up to him than from what she said.

“ _Run, Lotor, ruuun!_ ”   

Lotor awoke with a gasp and lurched forward grasping at his covers. He swore he heard her voice reverberating off the walls of his room and looked around to make sure she truly wasn’t there.

Looking down at his shaking hands he fought back frustrated tears. An immense amount of time may have passed since the tragedy of his father’s murder, but to him it still felt like it had happened mere weeks ago. Everything had slid steadily and quickly into ruin after that day. His mother had panicked and rushed them off to the most remote region of space she could manage to plan. He knew it was her that had successfully hidden him and his craft.

It also suddenly occurred to him he had no idea what had become of his mother. Or the princess, though he assumed she eventually became empress at some point. Surely she was dead by now. His memory cut short briefly after they fled their home world of Diabazaal. He scrambled out of bed and hastily pulled on a robe, barely tying it before he barreled out the door.

Nobody was awake yet and for that Lotor was grateful. He rushed to the bridge and activated a screen at a station along the wall. The history of the Altean Empire came up easily enough and he confirmed that Allura did indeed become empress after her father suffered an untimely death due to some particularly fierce rebels. Her reign was acclaimed as one of prosperity and peace, but he knew whose blood it was built upon. Try as he may, he could find no information on his mother. It sickened him to think the information had probably been lost or erased and that he may never know what happened to her.   

“Morning,” said Sven walking over to his seat with a mug of steaming caf. Thankfully, there was still some left and he was already wondering where they could get more, preferably before they left the dimension. “Looking up some stuff you missed?”

“Yes.” Lotor turned off the screen. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I felt the same when I caught up back on Earth…though obviously I wasn’t gone nearly as long.”

“You’re up rather early,” commented Lotor, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I uh…I have bad dreams sometimes,” said Sven, sipping his caf to avoid eye contact.

“Me too.” Lotor frowned at the viewport. It really didn’t show much but the inside of the moon barrier. “Maybe I never really knew her that well at all.”

“Hmm?” Sven looked over at him, confused. “Knew who?”

“No one,” said Lotor standing up. “That drink smells wonderful, is there any more left?”

“Oh, yeah! Plenty,” said Sven perking up. “Well, for now at least. If I were you, I’d try to get there before the others wake up.”

Lotor nodded and headed over to the galley. He was surprised to see Lance and Hunk already there. Hunk was pulling things out of the conservator and dried goods out of the compartments. Lotor had shared his craft with random staff before, but seeing aliens treat it so familiar made a strange sensation prickle in his gut.

“Good morning!” said Lance taking out numerous mugs. “Would you like some caf?”

“That’s why I came, actually,” said Lotor moving to stand beside Lance. He watched as Lance poured out three cups.

“It’s a bit bitter unless you sweeten it.” Lance spooned a white substance into the cups that he believed tasted close enough to be called sugar. “Cream is good in it too but I think we ran out.”

“Cream?” asked Lotor taking the offered mug and inhaling its unique aroma.

“Yeah, this stuff,” said Hunk thrusting a bottle between them. “This kind comes from an animal called a Lyntx…or something. We would call it milk, even though cream is only a part of it.”

“Sweet, we still have some!” Lance snatched the bottle and poured a little into his caf. He shook it with a questioning expression until Lotor nodded, then poured a little in his mug. “There you go,” he said after stirring it briefly. “Give it a taste.”

Lotor took a sip and let the hot liquid linger on his tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. It was indeed bitter but quickly followed by a rush of sweetness and ended on a note that was probably the cream. He was instantly hooked.

“It’s quite good,” he said taking two more sips in a row.

“I knew you’d like it.” Lance winked at him before picking up the remaining two cups. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to wake up our resident grouch.”

“Lance, I don’t think that’s necessary,” warned Hunk pulling out cookware. “He’ll think you’re patronizing him…which I’m pretty sure you are.”

“I’m just trying to be nice,” said Lance looking mildly offended. “He’s still catching up on sleep so I promise you he won’t be happy to wake up on his own. Plus, if I leave it up to him, he’ll sleep in and the caf will be gone. Do you want to deal with that? Because I don’t.”

“Okay, good points, but he’s still gonna be pissed.” Hunk mock saluted Lance. “Good luck!”

“Your crew seems close,” said Lotor after Lance had left the room.

“We are,” agreed Hunk turning on the cooktop. “If you give us a chance, I think you’ll like us.”

 “I don’t dislike any of you,” said Lotor before finishing his caf. “I just don’t trust you yet.”

“Fair enough.” Hunk started prepping the food. “If you see the others, tell them breakfast will be ready in about forty dobashes.”

They all ate breakfast in the mess hall onboard the Veda and Lotor thought it was rather noisy for mealtime. The earlier part of his life had been spent in grand halls with boisterous company, but the later years were much more sullen and quiet. Growing unrest between the Empires and the gifting of his own personal craft had ended those joyful times far too soon. His military training was also increased and his skills tested in the field enough to grate his nerves raw time and time again. Part of him rejoiced at the return to a superficially happy environment, but another part resented the fact he had been tossed into it without a choice.

Agitated, he had wandered off before the meal ended and nobody seemed to notice or care. He walked onto the bridge intent on grabbing a data pad to take back to his room.

“So you _are_ real!”

Lotor felt his heart attempt to leap from his chest as the loud voice sounded directly behind him. He fumbled the data pad but managed to grab it before it hit the floor. Spinning on his heels, he witnessed a muscular Altean looming over him and wondered how he had not heard the behemoth approach.

“Who the hell are you?” Lotor heard the words leave his mouth before he could think better of them.

“Antok! Nice to meet you, Prince Lotor,” said Antok with a friendly smile. He thoughtfully backed up a few steps. “The Leader and I have returned from our mission with the larger crystal. We’ll begin installation to your father’s craft here soon-“

“It’s my craft!” shouted Lotor suddenly. “This is my bloody craft and you heathens insist on treating it like your play thing!”

“Oh…” said Antok, clearly distressed. “I’m sorry, we-“

“Hold on a second,” said Pidge appearing from behind Antok. “I asked you if installing the device was okay and you didn’t seem to have a problem with it then. If you don’t like it, we’re not going to force you. That’s not how we work.”

“She’s right,” said Sven also walking onto the bridge, followed by the rest of the crew including Acxa. “Unlike the Alteans we let people have their free will.”

Lotor clutched the data pad so tightly his knuckles were turning white. “Please, excuse me,” he ground out. “I…need a moment.”

He stalked off the bridge forcing everyone to move aside and make a path. Acxa remained, walked over to a console to the back of the platform, and sat down.

“Next time you have something important to ask him, perhaps don’t make him feel like he’s being ganged up on,” she said as she brought up the HUD. “He’s been through so much and you haven’t even given him time to adjust. No wonder he snapped.”

“Gods, now I feel terrible!” Antok covered his face with a hand.

“Give him about ten dobashes, then send one person to talk to him,” said Acxa. She looked over her shoulder.

“I’ll go,” said Lance.

Sven nodded. “That was pretty careless of me. I’m so sorry, Acxa.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” she said.

“Antok, where are you? Or Prince Lotor for that matter,” came Kolivan’s voice through the comm. unit tucked into his ear.

“I’m still on the craft, Leader,” answered Antok. “We’re going to need a little longer. Ran into a problem…just a little one. Don’t worry about it. The prince will join you shortly.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lotor startled as the chime sounded and quickly turned off his data pad. He tried a more involved search for information on his mother, but still turned up nothing. With more time and the right resources he was sure he could find something. It had helped calm him down, though, by giving him something to focus on.

“Hi, can I come in?” asked Lance with a wave after the door had swished open.

Lotor wasn’t entirely surprised it was Lance, and truth be told, he was glad it was him and not someone else. He moved aside and gestured for Lance to enter.

“I forgot how nice your room is,” he said with an impressed whistle.

Lance sat on one of the chairs and tried not to stare too much at any one thing. Still, he couldn’t help but notice the bed was huge with a ridiculously spiky and dangerous looking headboard that had cloth draped from it. They had obviously assumed it was King Zarkon’s room and now that he thought of it, where was Zarkon’s room?

Lotor walked away from Lance to a wall, pressed a button, and watched as the panel slid away to reveal a closet. He started to sift through the clothing hanging within.

“Hey, I want to apologize on behalf of my team,” said Lance, completely undeterred by the silence. “They mean well, they really do, they’re just…intense and lacking in social graces and delicacies sometimes. Well, um, most of the time, actually.”

Finally choosing an outfit, Lotor plucked it from the closet and hung it on a nearby hook. He shut the panel and turned his attention towards a compartment, sifting through the items within.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through specifically, but I can only imagine it was horrible,” continued Lance. “I would completely understand if you didn’t want to go through with this crazy plan of ours, but we are serious about defeating the Alteans. I don’t know…it used to seem like an insurmountable task, defeating a well established empire, but now? If this plan works, we may have a fighting chance.”

Lotor finally paused in his search and turned to look at Lance.

“You can have a fighting chance too,” said Lance, meeting Lotor’s eyes from across the room. “To avenge your parents, your people, your empire, and we will gladly stand by your side as you do it.”

Lotor wasn’t sure if he truly believed Lance, but he was moved nonetheless. He tried not to be swayed by the passionate declarations but simply could not help himself. More than anything he wanted revenge, a way to set the wrongs even slightly right, some form of retribution to ease his shattered heart. He deserved at least that much, as did his fallen empire.

“Okay,” he said, the word heavy on his tongue. “Install the device and crystal. You have my blessing and aid. That was never really in question. It’s just been…difficult. I didn’t mean to lose my temper.”

“That’s perfectly fine and there’s no need to apologize. Hell, Keith loses his temper all the time and we still love him.” Lance stood up and stretched. “Plus, I get it. Strangers invading your craft and treating it like their own? Then they want to modify it without really getting permission? So rude! Practically unforgivable, even. But I hope you will. Forgive us, that is.”

Lotor felt a smile tugging at the corners of him mouth and sighed. “You’re very charming, Lance. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Maybe, but this isn’t about me.” Lance waved a dismissive hand and headed for the door. “I’ll let you get ready. Our leader, Kolivan, wants to meet with you as soon as possible, but between you and me, don’t rush. He’s not going anywhere.”

Lance strolled out of the room and Lotor watched him go, continuing to smile. It felt nice to be spoken to so kindly after the long hard years of conflict and strife. Not that his parents weren’t kind to him, he just hadn’t seen much of them in the time leading up to his forced stasis. Part of him also felt someone like Lance could be very dangerous, hiding ill intent behind a pleasant personality. He did not want to think about that at the moment, though.

Lotor got dressed in semi-formal attire and put on some jewelry that was family heirlooms. His father had taught him a decent amount of diplomatic skills and that included looking presentable and not letting your potential allies wait too long. Checking his appearance in the mirror, he gave himself a short pep talk and left the room ready to face the Leader of the Guns of Gamara.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 “It’s good to finally meet you, Prince Lotor,” said Kolivan grabbing the prince’s arm in a customary gesture of welcome.

“You as well, Leader Kolivan,” said Lotor looking around. They were in an observatory and the view through the dome was of the nearby planet. It was quite stunning.

“I hope my fellow Guns have been hospitable in my absence,” said Kolivan.

“Yes, they’ve been very kind,” assured Lotor staring at the swirling gas clouds on the planet. Such a distracting place to have a meeting, really.

“Do you have any problem with us installing the device in your craft?”

“The craft’s name is the Veda, and I have no problem with it,” said Lotor, finally looking at Kolivan properly. His eyes were piercing as they met Lotor’s, but he did not sense cruelty behind them. “May I ask you a question?”

Kolivan nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Do you know what happened to my mother? Oddly, I can find no news of her.”

“That was likely Empress Allura’s doing,” said Kolivan with a sour expression. “She eventually captured your mother and tried to force her to work with the Alteans on the cybernetic cog implants. Naturally, Queen Honerva refused and was put to work elsewhere in the mines. It’s likely she died there but there are no official records.”

The news was not surprising, but Lotor deeply wished his mother had died in battle because it would have been the noble death she deserved. But she died like a commoner, probably alone. He turned his face away and tried to suppress the wave of sorrow and anger that washed over him, fists clenched so tightly his nails were cutting into his palms.

“I’m not going to stand here and pretend I know how you feel,” said Kolivan politely turning away from Lotor to let him grieve. “But I do know what it feels like to lose loved ones to the Alteans. I’ll admit to initially having a selfish reason for joining the Guns of Gamara. I soon realized that this fight involves me, but isn’t about me. I became the Leader so that I could prevent others from suffering the loss I did.” He paused to look up at the planet. “I hope you come to feel the same way.”

Lotor found himself at a loss for words. He could tell Kolivan that he agreed with him, but he did not. Perhaps he would with time, but at that moment he knew no desire but revenge. Building their relationship on lies seemed like a bad start so he simply kept his mouth shut. Kolivan probably understood since he did not press the issue.

“Before you set out on the mission, please, get some rest.” Kolivan started to walk away in tight, controlled steps. “Arvath and all of its resources are available to you. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you need or desire.”

After choking out a “thank you” Lotor backed up until his calves hit the sectional and he collapsed onto it with a heavy thud. He covered his face with his trembling hands and took some deep breaths. Father would be disappointed to see him reacting that way. He could almost hear his voice reprimanding him for being weak and emotional. The irony was never lost on Lotor, though, because his father was definitely the more emotional parent. He was pretty sure the man loved his mother more than his own children too.

When he looked up he noticed Acxa standing in the distance. She walked over to him and sat down. “We’re going to get them, Lotor. We’ll aven-“

She stopped short when Lotor reached out and grasped her hand tightly enough to hurt. After hesitating a moment, she pried her hand free and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him down to lean against her. He let out a shaky sigh and relaxed into the embrace, letting himself be held for a change. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying familiar company in an unfamiliar universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) or my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/)!


	4. Ch 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally moving forward! 
> 
> HUD = Headsup Display

 

### Chapter 3

 

“It’s ready!” called out Slav in a sing song tone. He tossed a wrench carelessly over his head and it clattered to the floor of the engine room.

“Oh, thank god!” exclaimed Pidge falling back dramatically. She let the soldering tool fall from her hand and laughed.

“Great work, team!” said Hunk, then laughed as he tossed his tool away too. “I thought this was never going to end.”

“And honestly, I don’t think we’ve even been in here that long,” said Pidge. She rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses. “There was just sooo much fine tuning.”

“Yes, and you’ll be glad we took the time to do it when your body’s not being torn to shreds during the first jump!” said Slav stretching. He pressed the comm. link button on his uniform. “Hello, whoever is there! Please tell Kolivan we are finished!”

“And that we’re going to get some sleep!” added Pidge loudly.

“Ooooh, how exciting!” came Antok’s voice through the comm. “I’ll go tell Leader right now. Go get some rest, guys. You did a great job, I’m sure!”

“Thank you!” Hunk stood up and stretched. His back popped and cracked audibly a couple times causing him to wince. “Okay, definitely time to sleep.”

They shuffled through the corridors and onto the bridge wearily. Pidge declared to all present that they had officially finished, fine tuning and calibrations included. A round of congratulations later had them yawning and wandering off to their respective rooms.

Lotor had been practicing channeling the new crystals energy for the last few days and it had thoroughly exhausted him. While it did possess its own energy, the crystal was also a giant amplifier. Finding the right balance with such a large one was often tricky but Lotor had managed to pull it off in record time. Kolivan had praised his dedication as beyond admirable. Everyone left him alone to recuperate in his quarters, and Lance had even brought him meals there so he could continue to rest.

Kolivan had come to visit the bridge, telling everyone to meet in the debriefing room in the morning to go over the plan. They all needed to be on the same page before testing the device, and Slav would probably rattle off his customary percentages pertaining to chances of success or failure.

Everyone eventually left the bridge to turn in for the night cycle. Sven tried to wind down by reading a book on his data pad. Pidge had created a program to translate Altean text into English and everyone was eternally grateful to have something to pass the downtime with. Part of the way through the hero’s first romantic encounter he heard a light knocking at his door.

“Come in,” he called, already knowing who it was by the sound of the knock. And the fact that everyone else usually used the chime.

Keith walked into the room looking disgruntled and stopped beside Sven’s bed, only to hesitate and shift nervously on his feet. He wore his pajama bottoms and nothing else which was pretty common considering he claimed to run slightly on the hotter side.  

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Sven set the data pad aside and patted the mattress beside him as an invitation.

Keith plopped down by Sven’s legs and continued to fidget. He remained annoyingly silent but Sven could see the worry in his eyes. It never helped the situation to push Keith to talk, so he waited patiently until Keith was ready.

“We could die tomorrow,” he finally blurted out.

Sven blinked, mildly startled. “Uh…yeah, that’s one possibility. How is that much different than any other mission we’ve been sent on?”

“Because this thing they’re using, it hasn’t been tested and it’s taking us to a different dimension.” Keith spoke in a rush. “If I know my sci-fi movies, the potential for a disastrous maiden voyage is incredibly high! Like it’s practically inevitable! If we don’t get killed, we’re definitely going to get maimed…or shot into a dangerous or unstable pocket of space-“

“Hey, hey,” interrupted Sven as he sat up. He grabbed Keith’s arm in one hand and touched his face with the other. He seemed like he was on the verge of a panic attack and Sven knew that contact helped ground Keith. “It’s okay, right now, everything is okay.”

Keith stared at him with wide eyes, chest heaving from working himself up during his rant. His eyebrows slowly drew together, then upwards in a pained expression. “But it’s really not okay,” he whispered.   

Sven’s hand slipped off Keith’s face as he leaned forward and rested his head on Sven’s shoulder.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” he said, moving a hand into Keith’s hair at the nape of his neck. He rubbed it gently and felt a shudder run through Keith’s body. “Is there something you wanted to get off your chest before we leave tomorrow?”

The silence dragged on and Sven continued to rub at Keith’s neck idly, noticing as the tension started to melt from his tight back muscles. Keith rarely instigated physical contact but he responded to it exceptionally well. Sometimes, Sven liked to see how far he could push those boundaries, since Keith often kept to himself and was prone to being a bit aloof. He was such a deeply complex person and Sven had spent many years trying to understand what made him tick.  

“You’re provoking me,” muttered Keith, finally lifting his head but averting his eyes.

“Maybe,” said Sven, dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “What do you feel like doing?” He kept the question open but was ready to toss out some suggestions if necessary.

“I don’t’ know.” Keith turned away with a faint blush dusted across his cheeks. He glanced over his shoulder. “Something. Maybe.” 

Sven suddenly slid off of his bed and Keith looked up at him surprised. “Lie down. I’ll give you a back rub.”

“Seriously?” asked Keith turning an impressive shade of pink.

“Yes! It’ll help you relax so you can get some rest before we go on this important mission tomorrow.”

Keith said nothing in response, but moved to lie down on his stomach. Sven crawled onto the bed and knelt beside Keith, thankful that there was plenty of room to fit them both and probably more if they desired. He started by placing his hands on Keith’s lower back, noticing Keith twitched at the touch.

“Sorry if my hand is cold,” said Sven referring to his prosthetic. He honestly didn’t know if it felt cooler than average to other people. He normally focused more on the fact it wasn’t really his hand than the temperature.

“S’fine,” mumbled Keith into his pillow. “Feels good.”

Sven nodded to nobody in particular and set to massaging the tight muscles in Keith’s lumbar region. Keith squirmed a little when he got to the sides, so Sven avoided them making a mental note he was ticklish there. He moved up the back slowly, discovering a few knots along the way and working them out as carefully as he could manage. One of them was so stubborn Sven almost resorted to sticking his elbow into it. Instead he mashed at it with his thumbs and palm until it loosened, which caused Keith to let out a satisfied moan that bordered on obscene. Sven found he was the one blushing then.

Sven tapered off the massage to gentle rubbing. “Feel better, buddy?”

Keith maneuvered onto his side, gazing up through a mess of bangs. Sven smiled down at him fondly and brushed the hair away from Keith’s face. He let his hand linger as he admired the dark fan of Keith’s eyelashes as he closed his eyes and sighed.

“Scoot over,” said Sven.

“Okay.” Keith wiggled towards the wall and weakly attempted to push the blanket from beneath him.

Sven turned off the light, leaving only the soft violet accent lighting. He yanked the covers out from under Keith and settled next to him, draping the soft material over their bodies. They both stretched out comfortably and each picked a favored pillow. Somehow Sven had procured enough pillows to build a formidable fort and you could hardly move without rolling onto one. Just another one of his loveable and eccentric habits.

It wasn’t the first time they had shared a bed. When the night terrors were at their worst, Keith had been there to hold Sven until he stopped shaking and they often fell asleep like that. Sometimes Lance would fill in too, claiming the snuggling to be mutually beneficial since he was chronically touch-starved. Hunk usually slept too heavily to notice them and Pidge claimed to not be able to sleep if anyone was touching her.

By the time Sven had fluffed his pillow to perfection and settled in to wish Keith good night, he was already snoring softly.            

“Goodnight, Keith.” He smiled and closed his eyes. “Sweet dreams.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Okay, is everyone clear on the purpose of this mission?” asked Kolivan from the front of the debriefing room.

A chorus of affirmations came from the group scattered about the stadium seating.

Kolivan nodded curtly. “Good, be ready to leave in approximately one varga. Anything to add to what I’ve said, Slav?”

“Yes, I do,” said Slav slinking out from behind a podium. “The hope is that there will be one successful jump to another dimension and then you return. The reality is that there’s a chance you may not come directly back. Or that you may get stuck in an interdimensional pocket. For the sake of your nerves, I will not mention the percentage associated with these likelihoods. Please, try not to panic. While serious, those are not death sentences and can probably be remedied by Pidge and Hunk.”

Everyone nodded thoughtfully until a few expressions shifted to surprise.

“Wait a second…does that mean you’re not coming with us?” asked Lance sitting up straighter.

“Slav is staying here in case something goes wrong.” Kolivan crossed his arms as if bracing for protests. “We need him to build another device if yours is destroyed or lost.”

Sven shifted forward in his seat. “But you won’t have the craft to go through it anymore.”

“We found the comet that was taken by Voltron, I’m sure we can find more,” said Kolivan sternly. “Unfortunately, this isn’t up for debate. This could very well turn the tides in our favor and he’s too important to risk on a test run.”

“That’s harsh, man,” said Hunk slumping down into his seat.

“Please don’t mistake this decision for lack of care.” Kolivan’s shoulders slumped slightly, momentarily faltering under the weight of leadership. “It would be a devastating blow to the Guns if you were all to die during this mission, but we must keep trying. We have not come this far by letting setbacks stop our progress.”

“He’s right and you’ll all be fine!” said Slav waving several dismissive hands. “This is the reality where everything works out, remember?”

“Couldn’t forget if I tried,” mumbled Sven.

“That theory won’t hold up once we’re in a different reality,” added Hunk, nervously.

“We’re going to be fine,” said Lotor, speaking up for the first time. “I can feel it. This is going to work.”

“I agree.” Pidge yawned, looking bored. “You guys should have more faith in our work. We got this. Besides, things go wrong for us constantly and we always manage to pull through.”

Hunk sighed. “Good point. It’s still not good for my nerves, though.”

“You’ll live,” laughed Pidge. “And we’ll keep the device and craft going, promise. No blowing up on our watch.”

“Alright, enough small talk, go get ready!” said Kolivan clapping his hands a few times to draw everyone’s attention.

The next hour was spent securing supplies -including caf- and doing final diagnostic checks. The Veda was large enough to hold year’s worth of needed supplies, though the Guns did not have that much to spare. They put a few months worth in various cargo areas just in case. When the craft was greenlighted and the supplies inventoried, everyone assembled on the bridge. Kolivan, Slav, and Antok appeared on a large HUD overlaid on the viewport.

“We will stay in contact as long as possible,” said Kolivan as Antok sniffled behind him.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” said Antok dabbing at his eyes with a cloth.

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road, team,” said Sven giving everyone a meaningful glance of encouragement.

Everyone took their seats and Lotor stepped onto the platform. He was glad to see his hands were remarkably steady as he placed them on the contacts after they rose.

“Disengaging the docking clamps,” announced Hunk. “We’re good to go,” he added a moment later.

Lance nodded and took the control levers in his hands, easing the Veda away from Arvath. It drifted slowly towards the nearest dilating hatch in the moon barrier, which promptly opened for them. Soon they were in open space and Lance engaged the thrusters to put some distance between them and the base. When they were far enough away, he shut them down and looked back at the crew.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” he said, trying his best to project confidence he didn’t really feel.

“Bringing the device online,” said Pidge and Acxa suddenly appeared over her shoulder watching. She smiled up at Acxa and walked her through the procedure. The more people that knew how to use it, the better.

“It’s much like the process for engaging the wormhole,” said Acxa.

“Almost the same,” agreed Pidge. “We wanted to make it user-friendly. How does everything look on your end, Hunk?”

“Engines are fine, no abnormal readings. We’re operating above average, as usual,” he answered, giving her a thumbs up.

“Whenever you’re ready, Prince Lotor,” said Sven pausing for a few seconds to let the gravity of the situation attempt to sink in, “activate the device.”

Lotor nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on the energy cycling through the large crystal hanging overhead. It shifted from dull magenta to bright fuchsia, pulsing more quickly as the seconds ticked by. A low level hum could be heard and everyone wondered if it was the device. It grew louder as the crystal stopped pulsing and shone steadily.

“Look!” shouted Lance over the increasingly loud hum.

Everyone except Lotor looked out the viewport past the anxious faces of Kolivan and Antok on the HUD. At first, the swirling mass of distorted space seemed exactly like a wormhole, but it abruptly exploded into a vortex of undulating and dazzling colors.

“Move through quickly!” yelled Lotor. “I don’t think I can hold it open long.”

Lance pushed the control levers forward without hesitation, lurching the Veda forward into the vortex anomaly. The craft was quickly sucked in and the viewport filled with swirling clouds of color, bathing everything in a surreal glow. The HUD overlay crackled with static and then cut out, proof that they were no longer in regular space. The Veda sat suspended in a peaceful limbo for a moment before jerking forward, metal groaning and creaking around them in protest. Suddenly they were spat out of the anomaly with a haste that indicated it no longer wanted to tolerate their presence. The consoles started spraying and raining sparks, an alarm started blaring, and the Veda dimmed to emergency lighting.

“Did it…work?” asked Lotor before promptly collapsing to the floor.

“What happened? Where are we?” shouted Sven over the alarm as he and Acxa rushed over to Lotor.

“I don’t know, but obviously something went wrong!” said Pidge typing away furiously at her console.

“The engines are offline!” said Hunk. “I’m trying to turn off the alarm.”

“Shit! Life support will fail soon if we don’t get the system back online!” said Pidge tossing Sven a panicked glance.

“It looks like several components got fried during the jump,” said Hunk, eyes scanning over rapidly scrolling readouts. “I’ll replace them as quickly as I can.”

“I’ll help!” said Acxa, looking up to nail Sven with a sharp glance. “Please take care of him while I’m gone.”

Sven nodded and took Lotor out of Acxa’s arms. She bolted to her feet and ran after Hunk’s retreating form. The alarm suddenly cut off, probably thanks to Pidge, and the ensuing silence was deafening. The pulsing red emergency lights cut off as well.  

Keith suddenly appeared next to Sven. “I’ll check him out when we get to the infirmary.”

They hoisted Lotor to his feet and fumbled his unconscious body between them before realizing it was a poor course of action. Sven resorted to picking Lotor up and carrying him bridal style.

“Keep me updated on any progress!” called Sven over his shoulder.

“Where the hell are we?” whispered Lance staring out the viewport with a frown.

Dense red clouds dominated the view, slowly swirling in lazy waves. It certainly didn’t look like anything Lance had ever seen before and they had been to much of the known universe by that point.

“I have no idea. Obviously somewhere different.” Pidge turned on the speaker system. “Life support systems are back online. There was no physical damage to the components in that case, thank god.”

“Good to hear!” came Hunk’s voice through Pidge and Lance’s comm.’s. “We made it to the engine room, but I’m sending Acxa to the access panels on the second deck to check some circuits.”

“I’m heading down,” said Pidge standing up and tucking her laptop underarm. “Lance, stay here and keep an eye out for hostiles.”

“Sure thing.” Lance waved absently as she left, forcing his eyes to his HUD.

The Veda’s sensors weren’t picking up any crafts or life forms, so he stood up and walked to the viewport. Visibility was terrible and he couldn’t make out anything past the billowing clouds they were sitting dead in. Nebulae were never that dense. He wondered what kind of reality they had been tossed into, because just the visuals alone were strongly indicating that they were no longer home. A shiver ran down his spine and he whipped around quickly to see if anyone was watching him. Seeing nothing, Lance turned his gaze back out to space.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Did you see outside?” asked Keith as they walked into the infirmary.

“Yeah,” said Sven carefully laying Lotor on a table. “I’ve never seen anything like that before…and the Alteans carted my sorry ass all over the place for those fights.”

“It must’ve worked then.” Keith pulled a rolling metal tray over to the compartments and rummaged around for supplies. When he was done he rolled it over to Lotor, grabbing a vitals machine on the way. He checked Lotor’s pulse then started to loosen his shirt. “Help me out here.”

“Uuuuh, I don’t know how to do this stuff,” said Sven, but came over anyways. They fiddled with the fancy, long tailed top trying to open it.

“You can learn,” said Keith as they finally managed to discard the garment. “I don’t want to be the only one onboard that has medical knowledge.”

The corner of Sven’s mouth quirked up. “I was so impressed when I found out you knew about this stuff.”

“I don’t know enough, honestly,” said Keith with a small smile. “Here’s where you attach the electrodes. If you use a little of this alcohol stuff to prep the skin it sticks better.”

Sven nodded and watched as Keith placed the electrodes and hooked them to wires, then to the machine. “Why isn’t this stuff wireless?” he asked, thinking out loud.

“I suppose it could be, but I don’t know if it would send as reliable of a signal. Or maybe this is just old, cheap equipment.” Keith shrugged as he flipped on the vitals machine. It lit up and he scrutinized its readings. “Weird alien biology aside, this looks normal. I guess. The alarms aren’t going off so that’s a good sign. He’s probably just exhausted."

“That’s great, because we’re not going anywhere else without him,” said Sven looking at the vital readouts as well. Beside the heartbeat he didn’t really know what the rest meant.

Keith searched briefly before finding a pillow and blanket. He gently placed the pillow under Lotor’s head and draped the blanket over his body. “I’ll see if I can find some fluids and hook those up. Wanna watch? You can learn to run an IV.”  

“Does he even have veins?”

“Of course he does!” said Keith walking over to the stasis chamber that held all of their fluid medical supplies. “I’m willing to bet their biology is pretty close to ours. The Alteans seem to be similar from the texts I’ve read so far.”

“Maybe some other time. I need to check on Hunk and Pidge…and everything else.” Sven sighed before walking away. He paused at the door. “Hey, we made it, though, right? We’re not floating in some quantum rift in billions of little pieces.”

“Not yet at least,” said Keith with a snort. “But, yeah. One jump under our belts and we’re all alive. Not bad.”

Sven made his way to the engine room and heard the muttering and clanking of tools that indicated the resident engineer and mechanic was at work. He was happy to hear Pidge there as well. “How bad is it, guys?” he called out loudly over the sound of something popping and hissing.

“Not to sound cliché, but it certainly could’ve been worse!” yelled Hunk over the hissing. It soon stopped and he exhaled, popping his head up over a bulky part of the engine. “The device worked pretty well, it just overloaded parts of the engine in the process.”

“As well as it was built, it’s still old,” said Pidge. One of her many laptops was wired into the engine and endless lines of diagnostics were scrolling on its screen. “Most of this looks alright. It just wasn’t built to handle that level of energy. I don’t think anything was, actually. We can fix it, it’ll just take time. Lots of little fires to put out.”

“What about the next jump?” asked Sven.

Pidge smiled thinly. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. I definitely need to fine tune the device before we try again, though.”

“Understood. Good work, guys.” Sven drummed his fingers against the wall thoughtfully. “I’m going to go try to find out where we are.”

Sven jogged onto the bridge and finally got a chance to take a closer look at the strange miasma that churned and roiled around the Veda. He walked up to the viewport so close that his nose practically hit the glass and stared intently. It cast the dark metal and dim surroundings in shifting hues of red.

“You know, I’ve seen at least one horror movie that started out this way,” said Lance, arms behind his head and feet resting on the pilot console.

Sven looked over his shoulder and back to the swirling mass before walking over to Lance. “Did you find anything to indicate where we are?” he asked, choosing to ignore the horror comment. The last thing he needed was to be spooked by their situation.

Lance shook his head. “No, nothing at all. I think that stuff is blocking our sensors. I’m not picking up anything useful. No stars, no planets, no crafts, no life forms at all. Just lots of hydrogen. Well, it’s similar enough to at least be registering as that.”

“So at least that seems to be similar. Hopefully we can get the engines up and get out of…whatever this is.”

“The sooner the better.” Lance sat up properly and peered around the bridge. “I keep getting the feeling I’m being watched.”

Sven clapped a broad hand on Lance’s shoulder a few times. “Hang in there and try not to get too paranoid. Maybe run some more scans? When Pidge is done she can probably calibrate them or something.”

“Hey, Sven.” Keith’s voice came through the comm. unit clipped to Sven’s shirt. “Lotor just woke up. Thought you’d want to know.”

“Okay, I’m heading over.”

As Sven made his way to the infirmary the lights flickered back on. The corridor illuminated with the customary dim light and he caught sight of a shadow moving rapidly around a corner. He wondered who was skulking around when everyone was so busy. He jogged to the bend and looked down the other corridor, puzzled to see it empty with no doors someone could have easily retreated through. Searching for a few more seconds, he shrugged and continued walking in the opposite direction.

When he made it to the infirmary he was confused to see that Lotor was still unconscious. Keith was rummaging through a random compartment and muttering to himself how disorganized it was.

“What’s up?” he asked causing Keith to let out a startled yelp.

Keith clutched his chest. “Holy shit, you scared me! I mean, you’re not as bad as Antok, but you can be pretty quiet sometimes…”

“He’s not awake,” said Sven gesturing towards Lotor’s bed.

“Nope, not yet.”

“Then why did you tell me was?” asked Sven. A strange, heavy sensation started to creep into his chest.

“Um, I didn’t?” Keith stopped digging around in the compartment and turned to look at Sven with his hands full of random supplies.

“Yes, you did,” insisted Sven. “Over the comm., you told me Lotor had woken up. Lance heard it too.”

“I don’t know what to tell you then, because I never said that.” Keith approached Sven with a concerned expression. One of the packets fell from his hand but he paid it no mind. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine,” said Sven, but it wasn’t entirely true. All of a sudden, he felt incredibly dizzy and the heaviness in his chest was seeping into his torso and limbs. “I’m going to go help Lance with the scans.”

Sven turned on his heel to rush out of the room before he felt worse, but didn’t get very far. The room started to spin, dark metal and neon whirling around in a blur before starting to fade. He heard Keith’s shocked cry in the distance as his legs gave out beneath him and then the infirmary blinked out.

The darkness enveloped his every sense and with it came a profound sense of emptiness. Oddly, it felt like he never truly lost consciousness but rather shifted it somewhere else. A sound so faint he could barely detect it slowly built from a dull hum to a steady thrumming. It reminded him of things he had heard before, but nothing specific. It pulsed in tune with his heartbeat, which he could feel and hear then. Time passed, he wasn’t sure how much, simply steady, pulsing beats existing in a vacuum, a strange mockery of the comfort of the womb.

A small red dot appeared in the black void. He could not fail to notice it because it was the only thing to see.  

The mixture of his heartbeat and the thrumming picked up pace and grew louder. The red dot pulsed with the sound until it started to bulge and deform. It rippled and stretched before crimson waves suddenly burst from it, long tendrils unfurling around him. It seemed to be sentient, contracting and expanding until it was everywhere he could see. He had no true perception of his body, but the sound was thrumming so deeply within his mind it hurt.

The rhythmic hum shifted into a high pitched whine as the red tendrils started to constrict his body, which he quickly became aware of, limb by limb. Muscles crushed and bones started to bend, pain blossoming everywhere at once. He opened his mouth to scream, but realized he had no breath left to force out any sound.

And then he was thrashing awake, panicked and yelling. Someone grabbed his arms and his first instinct was to struggle against them, terrified he may be crushed again.

“Whoa, calm down, Sven! It’s okay, you’re safe!”

His eyes caught Lance’s face and he immediately stilled. Chest heaving and covered in sweat, he looked around the room still agitated and alarmed. Keith was running over to the table with a syringe, the Altean kind that more or less pushed fluid through skin at multiple points without the aid of a needle.

“No, no!” Sven watched his hand whip out and smack the syringe from Keith’s hand before he could even process what was happening. It clattered to the floor and slid away.  

Keith stared down at him wide eyed while he clutched his hand.

“Keith…I-I’m sorry, I-“ stuttered Sven, mortified by his instinctual reaction.

Keith shook his head. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I…should’ve known better.”

“What happened to have you wake up in such a panic?” asked Lance. He still had a hand on Sven’s chest. It was a comforting gesture though it was likely for the more practical purpose of preventing him from lunging at anyone.

Sven sat up slowly and Lance let him, thinking about the best way to phrase what he had seen. His gaze fell on Lotor’s unconscious form beside him as he pondered. What if he was seeing the same things and couldn’t wake up? A sick feeling washed over him.

“Wake him up!” He flung out searching hands, clawing at Keith’s jacket sleeves. “Wake him up! Do it now!”

“What? Why?” asked Keith, being jerked forward slightly as Sven used him as an anchor to slide off the examination table.

“Whatever attacked me could be getting him as well!” said Sven grasping Keith’s arms for emphasis. He felt the muscles tense under his fingers and forced himself to ease his grip.

“Something attacked you?” asked Lance coming around the table to their side. “Is that why you were so spooked?”

“It lured me down here using Keith’s voice. You heard it too, didn’t you, Lance? It got into my head somehow, there was this sound, a hum that kept getting louder… and then it tried to crush me.” Sven spoke in a feverish rush, then abruptly let go of Keith, rushing over to Lotor’s side. “Please, he could be in trouble and we just can’t tell! I have a bad feeling it’s trying to use him as a conduit.”

“Sven, you need to calm down,” said Keith walking over to the vitals machine. “If he was in distress I’m sure it would show in his vitals and they seem fine. Besides, even if I wanted to wake him up I’m not sure I could. Injecting anything besides basic saline fluid could be dangerous since I don’t have any clue how Galran anatomy specifically works. It could kill him.”       

“I can wake him up,” said Acxa strutting into the room.

She walked over to a random compartment, then to another before she found what she was looking for. It was a tiny tube that they could barely see as she brought it over to Lotor. After snapping it open in the middle she waved it under his nose. Lotor blinked his eyes open slowly as he scrunched up his nose at the smell.

Acxa smirked. “Ammonium carbonate, pretty simple.”

Lance and Sven looked at Keith with a confused expression.

“Smelling salts,” said Keith and realization dawned on their faces. He walked over to the table as Acxa raised the top part so Lotor was sitting up.

“How do you feel?” asked Keith taking his pulse again.

Lotor still seemed groggy and dazed, staring down at the wrist Keith had his fingers pressed into. “Tired but otherwise fine,” he answered after a moment.

“We made it, Prince Lotor,” said Acxa as she turned from studying the vitals readouts. “Well…at least I think we did. We haven’t been able to confirm anything yet but we’re alive and you’re okay.”

“Did you see anything while you were unconscious?” blurted out Sven sidling up beside Keith.

“Yes, in fact I did,” said Lotor looking up at Sven with a thoughtful expression. “A swirling mass of red…something. I’m not sure what it was.”

“Yes! You saw it too! I’m not crazy!” Sven jumped up and down a few times in the same spot in excitement. “Did it try to crush you?”

“No, not at all.” Lotor put his hand on his chin and peered to the side. “I think it was trying to communicate with me but all I received was a jumbled mess of emotions. Nothing coherent.”

“Well, now I feel a little insulted that it tried to have a friendly chat with you while trying to kill me,” said Sven, pouting and crossing his arms.

Lotor turned a puzzled expression towards Sven. “It tried to kill you?”

“Yeah…and I thought I saw someone in the corridor before I got here,” he said, recounting the series of weird events leading up to the incident. “When I checked, nobody was there.”

“And I keep thinking someone is watching me,” said Lance. “I swear I saw shadows moving out of the corners of my eyes too many times to count.”

“That is creepy as fuck, you guys,” said Pidge suddenly appearing amidst them. That time it was Lance that let out the impressive shriek.

“Holy shit,” wheezed Sven. “This is taking years off of my life.”

“Little update, since I know how much you all love being stuck in this debilitating cosmic dust cloud,” said Pidge cheerfully. “We should have repairs done in about two vargas.”

Lance sighed. “Can’t we just fire up the thrusters and slowly putz out of here?”

“Not yet, maybe in another varga or less if we’re lucky.” Pidge headed towards the door. “I need to get back to work. Try not to kill each other in the meantime!”

“Wait!” called out Sven. “Have you or Hunk seen anything out of the ordinary?”

“I don’t know about Hunk, but I’ve seen a couple things,” said Pidge over her shoulder. “Don’t really give a fuck, though! Too busy!” Her voice faded as she disappeared down the corridor.

“She doesn’t count, she likes horror movies,” said Lance, shivering briefly and glancing around.

Keith frowned. “This isn’t good. A paranoid crew in tight quarters stuck dead in space? Definitely a recipe for disaster, especially considering we have plenty of weapons on board.”

“He’s right,” agreed Lotor. “And you likely haven’t even found my stash yet.”

“Nope, but we have plenty of our own,” said Sven. “We’re carrying extra in cargo just in case. Whether we sell them or use them, they’re valuable.”

“What should we do then?” asked Acxa. “We possibly have two whole vargas to get through. That’s a lot of time for paranoia to build.”

Sven shrugged. “Besides locking ourselves in our rooms, I’m not sure.”

“I think that would be overkill, on top of being impractical.” Keith sighed and shrugged too. He walked back over to the compartments and resumed pulling supplies out. “This is a mess, by the way. Who stocked it?”

“Antok,” said Sven and Lance at the same time.

“Go figure,” muttered Keith. “I’m going to organize it. Want to help, Acxa? You seem to know your way around medical supplies.”

“I do,” she said, giving Lotor a pat on the shoulder before walking over to Keith. “I can teach you about our anatomy too and what most of this stuff does if you’re not familiar yet.”

“That would be great, thanks.” Keith offered her a small smile.

“May I retire to my quarters?” asked Lotor already pulling the covers back and swinging his legs over the side of the table. He started to pull off the electrodes one by one, apparently not bothered by his bared chest.

“I don’t see why not,” said Keith, glancing over his shoulder. “You should probably swing by the galley and get something to drink and eat too.”

Lance quickly located Lotor’s shirt and rushed to his side. “I’ll go with you!”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary,” said Lotor, swaying on his feet slightly.

“It would be my pleasure, truly.” Lance caught Lotor’s arm, steadying him. He then gently placed Lotor’s shirt over his shoulders. “Plus I _really_ don’t want to be alone right now.”

Lotor chuckled. “In that case, lead the way.”

Sven watched them leave, then glanced over to Keith and Acxa having a quiet conversation laced with complicated medical terms. He had no idea what to do with himself, so he resorted to wandering back to the bridge. Luckily he did not see anything out of the ordinary besides the strange phenomenon occurring outside the craft. He sat at his console and ran some scans but all that turned up were the elements of the immediate surrounding space.

Slumping down in his seat, he let out a long, exasperated sigh. It had occurred to him that the anomaly may be a sentient being and if it was he was worried it wished them harm. There was also the possibility that the reality they were in had different physics than they were used to. Without the ability to move and use their sensors they were at a huge disadvantage. If it came down to it, they could try to jump from a standstill, but that probably wouldn’t work. The craft needed to move to go through the vortex, and they likely wouldn’t even see it through the clouds.

He must’ve dozed off after a while of being idle, because the sound of Pidge’s voice crackling through his comm. jolted him awake.

“Hey, guys, engines are mostly back up,” she said, followed by a loud clang of something in the background. “Hunk’s going to finish up down here and I’ll be up in a dobash to get us moving.”

Sven looked around the presumably empty bridge and startled once again at the sight of someone standing by the consoles against one of the walls. Someone that looked awfully familiar. He scrambled out of his seat and cautiously approached the person that was definitely not part of his current crew.

He was taller than Sven remembered, light auburn hair grown out slightly and almost falling to his shoulders. His movements were deliberate as he ran his fingers over the console and finally turned around, revealing a casual smile.

“Hello, Sven. Long time, no see.”

“Matt?! What are you doing here?!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) or my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/)!


	5. Ch 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get weirder, Hunk and Pidge nerd out, and alternate reality skinny dipping occurs.

### Chapter 4

 

Matt Holt stood before Sven on the bridge of the Veda, strangely wearing a Guns of Gamara uniform. His familiar visage struck Sven deep in his core, constricting his heart as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. The calm expression on Matt’s face was comforting but also out of character given the situation. Obviously, something was wrong.

“You’re not really here, are you?” asked Sven quietly. His voice still sounded impossibly loud.

“Who knows?” Matt shrugged. “Where is here and who am I truly?”

“Great, riddles, my favorite,” muttered Sven. “But speaking of which, do you know where we are? What this place is?”

“Of course,” said Matt with a lazy grin.

After a moment of silence stretched on, Sven raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me?”

“No.”

Sven suppressed a sigh. “Are you going to tell me anything useful?”

“Maybe.” Matt tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I honestly have no idea what you would consider useful.”    

“Okay! Let’s see if we can get this party rolling-“ Pidge trailed off and came to a full stop after jogging onto the bridge. “Matt?!”

Before Matt -or whoever he was- could respond, Pidge was barreling towards him, arms outstretched. Sven got out a few syllables of a warning just as Matt grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her into a headlock.

“Matt, what the hell?!” choked Pidge struggling against the hold.

After staring blankly at Sven for a few seconds, Matt’s face lit up. “Oh! This is my sister!” he said immediately releasing her.

Pidge backed away from him coughing and Sven tugged her to his side. “Wh-what’s going on?”

“I wish I knew,” said Sven sorely wishing he had his blaster.

“You’ve fixed the engines,” said Matt after another eerie stare, this time at Pidge. “Let’s get moving, shall we?”

A low hum sputtered to life and the Veda started drifting forward.

Sven gripped a seat to keep himself steady, then nervously glanced at the viewport. “The thrusters turned on by themselves?”

“He did it!” exclaimed Pidge, but when they looked back to Matt, he was gone.

“Hey, you got the engines running?” asked Lance strolling onto the bridge. He quickly noticed Sven and Pidge’s spooked expressions. “Wait, what happened?”

“We saw Matt!” blurted out Pidge. “But it wasn’t really him…I think.”

Lance looked around. “Did he go somewhere?”

“Not really, he just vanished when we glanced away,” said Sven, realizing how crazy they both sounded, even by bizarre space standards.

“I knew it!” said Lance slapping his knee. “The ship is haunted!”

“Oh my god, please shut up.” Pidge rushed over to her console, checking the status of the engines. “Well, at least everything looks good for now. Besides the hallucinations and craft moving under its own volition. What if we’re in a reality where machines have sentience?!”

“That sounds terrifying,” said Sven also taking his seat. Lance followed suit.

“Hopefully, there’s an end in sight to these clouds.” Lance checked his HUD as the control levers ascended. “Without sensors or visuals I could easily fly us into something.”

“I’m going to try out a few programs and see if I can work around our sensor issues,” said Pidge already tapping away at her console. She seemed to materialize a laptop out of thin air and continued typing on that.

“How’s the prince, Lance?” asked Sven.

“Resting,” answered Lance keeping his eyes fixed on the swirling miasma flowing past the viewport. “I made him something to eat and walked him to his quarters. He seemed okay, but I don’t think we should push him to do another jump yet.”

“Plus we don’t even have the slightest clue where we are yet,” said Keith walking onto the bridge. “There may be useful resources in this reality.”

“Sure, if it doesn’t kill us first,” shot Lance over his shoulder.

“That’s enough, Lance,” warned Sven. “It’s true I was attacked somehow, but we don’t have to automatically assume these entities are out to do us harm.”

Keith came to a stop beside Sven’s seat. “So you think they’re alien entities?”

Sven shrugged. “I don’t know what else to think. Given everything that’s happened so far, it seems like they’re trying to communicate with us, especially after seeing Matt.”

“Matt? You saw Matt Holt?” asked Keith with an incredulous tone.

“It wasn’t really him,” muttered Pidge. “I mean, Matt has put me in headlocks before, but I doubt he’d pull that shit during our reunion.”

“Um, guys,” said Lance, finally turning around and casting everyone a worried look. “Can someone go check on Hunk? I don’t like the thought of him being alone down there so long.”

“Hey, Hunk, how’s it going down there?” said Sven after opening up a comm. channel.

The resulting silence dragged on for a bit too long. Sven tried him again and Pidge even yelled into hers, but they still received no response.

“I’ll go,” said Keith, but Sven grabbed his arm halting him dead in his tracks.

“Let’s go together,” he said as he stood up. “I know it’s impractical to suggest this, but if we can we should really travel in pairs.”

“No, no, that sounds great!” said Lance nodding enthusiastically. “Buddy system it is.”

“We’ll keep you updated,” said Sven before he and Keith jogged away.

The trip down to the engine room seemed to take longer than usual, and when they arrived Hunk was nowhere to be found. His tools were still there, lying scattered on the floor like he had abandoned them in haste. Sven fought down rising panic that threatened to bubble over. They tried the comm.’s again a few more times with no luck.

“Let’s check the common areas and his room,” suggested Keith. “It’s possible he left to grab something to eat and his comm. is malfunctioning.”

Sven nodded and opened up a link to the bridge. “He’s not here, guys. We’re going to keep looking.”

“Roger that,” came Pidge’s voice through the comm.

They searched every common area on the Veda and even checked all the rooms, including Lotor’s and found nothing. Acxa was with him and asked if they needed further assistance, but they politely declined and told her to stay with the prince just in case. By the time they walked a corridor away from the room, Sven was having trouble breathing. He stopped to lean against a wall, willing his treacherous lungs to inflate properly.

“We’re going to find him,” said Keith confidently. “These entities seem to love messing with our perceptions, right? That’s probably what’s happening. He couldn’t have just disappeared.”

“Something’s wrong, Keith.” Sven wheezed clutching his chest as a wave of dizziness started spinning the corridor. “It feels like the last time…I-“

“Sven?!” Keith lunged forward as Sven started to slide to the floor.

As valiantly as he tried to fight it, the darkness won out.    

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sven slowly blinked his eyes open and saw a brilliant blue sky overhead. Fluffy white clouds drifted lazily and he noticed the scent of something that smelled suspiciously like grass. He sat up to witness vast, rolling fields of emerald green littered with magenta flowers.

“You’re awake,” spoke a woman’s voice.

Sven swiveled his head around and saw a regal woman with flowing white hair cascading down her back. Long pointed ears and odd lavender marks on her skin made him recognize her as an Altean and it set his nerves on edge. He had no idea who she was but sensed he should be wary of her.

“Who are you?” he asked stumbling to his feet. The air smelled amazingly fresh compared to the recycled type he’d grown accustomed to breathing.

“That doesn’t matter,” she said. “Of all the memories I searched, this is one that stood out more vividly in his mind. I wonder why?”

“Do…you mean Prince Lotor?”

“You were brutalized by these people, were you not?” asked the woman. “They are very interesting, as is the prince. Did you know he shares blood with them?”

“That’s really none of my business.” Sven looked around. There didn’t seem to be an end in sight to the fields. “I just want to know what your intentions towards us are…or where we are in the first place would be nice too.”

“You are in the only universe I know, but somehow you are not from here.” She stared at Sven curiously. “Ah, yes! And please, allow me to apologize for earlier. My first attempt at communication was crude and unsuccessful. I did not expect you to be so fragile.”

“Yeah…thanks,” said Sven with a sigh. “But technically your first attempt was with Lotor, wasn’t it?”

“He was decidedly less fragile, which made communication almost impossible,” she said, expression slightly menacing.

“Great, so you picked me instead,” said Sven. “You seem to like toying with our perception and emotions. Did you do something to our crew member, Hunk? He’s missing.”

“What better way to learn about you then to put you through trials?” She turned her gaze to the open fields. “Watch.”

The hills started to rumble and shift, smoothly transforming into the craggy, icy surface of Kerberos. Sven took several steps back as he once again witnessed the massive Altean craft gliding into view above him, cool gray and shot through with neon. He told himself it wasn’t real and he shouldn’t panic, but the mere sight of it triggered a profound sense of dread, making his blood turn to ice water in his veins. Two more steps found him falling to the ground and still trying to scramble further away.

The woman lifted her hand and everything froze. She walked over to Sven, long dress swishing around her ankles, and knelt down beside him. “You creatures are absolutely fascinating. These emotions you experience are so visceral, yet you do possess abundant higher logic.”    

At that moment, Sven truly felt any “higher logic” he possessed was not available to him. “What…do you want?” he croaked out.

“To know you,” she said, reaching out a hand and placing it delicately on Sven’s face. “I’m sorry to have caused you discomfort. I’m trying to learn your boundaries, but they are complex and utterly foreign. There will be more mistakes, I’m sure.”

Sven closed his eyes to the sight of the moon suspended around him, like a damn specimen. These entities were potentially more dangerous than the Alteans and the fact that one was wearing their face seemed tragically appropriate. Still, her hand felt so warm and welcome on his face that he shuddered under it. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had touched him in such a way, with care and concern.  

“I will see you again soon, Sven,” she whispered. “Now, wake up.”

Once again, Sven opened his eyes, that time to the familiar sight of his room. It was dim, bathed in the eerie pink glow of the pervasive accent lighting aliens apparently favored in their crafts. He still felt a little dizzy and his vision was taking its sweet time focusing. He really hoped whatever the entities were doing to his mind wasn’t causing any lasting damage because they seemed reckless in their pursuit of knowledge.

A dark lump against the wall gradually morphed into the familiar form of Keith. He had one of Sven’s many acquired blankets wrapped loosely around his shoulders and was reading a data pad, the glow of its screen casting his face in sharp shadows. Everyone teased him about his obsessive collecting of covers but they always came to him for one when they were cold. And space was cold. Honestly, he had developed the habit back home in Norway because it was pretty damn cold there too.

Keith looked up at him suddenly, as if sensing Sven’s eyes on him. He let the hand he was resting his head on slide down slowly and raised an eyebrow. A long moment passed and they sat idly in the dark silently observing each other. The data pad eventually slipped from Keith’s fingers and he let it tumble to the floor.

“Where did you go this time?” he asked, voice low and even.

Sven shifted on his bed, rolling his body to face Keith. He didn’t trust his equilibrium just yet. “I talked to one of them.”

“The entities?”    

“Yeah.” Sven nodded against his pillow. “It took the form of an Altean, I don’t know who but she looked like royalty. Claimed to have pulled her from Lotor’s memory.”

“Interesting,” said Keith. “Not sure why they felt it necessary to knock you out when they could’ve just appeared like Matt did.”

“She said my mind was fragile,” laughed Sven. “Maybe it was easier to show me stuff by rendering me unconscious. She also said they were putting us through trials, trying to learn about us. And that there may be more mistakes. I’m not sure I want to know what they consider a mistake.”

Keith frowned slightly and stared at the wall before returning his gaze to Sven. “This could be dangerous for us. I wonder if they’re going to attempt to communicate with anyone else.”

Sven shrugged. “Most of the stuff we do is dangerous. Did you ever find Hunk? How long was I out?”

“We found Hunk,” said Keith and Sven visibly relaxed at the news. “I ran into him on his way to the galley to start dinner and it nearly gave me a heart attack. Swears he was resting in his room the entire time, but I know we checked there. Said he got exhausted suddenly. You were out for about a little over a varga. Your vitals were fine so I figured putting you here would be more comfortable.”

“Did you carry me here all by yourself?” asked Sven with a playful expression.

“Actually, Lotor did,” said Keith, chuckling at the shocked look he was now receiving. “He’s really strong. I mean, I could’ve carried you here if I needed to but it would’ve been a struggle.”

“I suppose we’ve come full circle in that respect then.” Sven rolled onto his back. “Is it night yet? I can never tell.”

The sound of the door chime shattered the serene exchange startling both men.

“Come in!” called Sven.

After the door slid open, Hunk peeked his head inside the room. “Oh, good to see you awake, Sven! Dinner’s ready.”

Sven sat up slowly, relieved he felt okay. Keith rushed to help him stand up regardless and they left the room.

Everyone gathered in the mess hall and it was comforting that despite everything going on they still had some routine to fall back on. The cloudy miasma seemed to have no end, so Lance put the Veda on autopilot. It would alert them if something out of the ordinary occurred. For a short while, it almost felt like nothing had happened and they weren’t potentially stranded in a possibly hostile environment. Sven waited until everybody was mostly done eating to share his dream with them, and also explain to those absent everything else that had occurred.

“This is fascinating,” said Hunk. “They seem like a type of higher life form that has little to no idea how we function. We must seem so primitive to them. They probably aren’t even intentionally messing with our perceptions.”

“It’s also possible that physics function a little differently here,” said Pidge.

“I thought of that earlier, even if it seems unlikely.” Sven sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“I mean, if we’re going by the Superstring Theory here, then it is possible that the forces of nature, gravity, and speed of light could operate differently, but that’s only based on ten dimensions.” Pidge tapped the table thoughtfully.

“That’s true,” agreed Hunk. He speared one of the last potato-looking pieces of food on his plate with a spork and waved it around. “But, it was just a theory. Did this universe even have a Big Bang for us to look back before? Is that like a standard for every universe? It seems like it would be.”

“It probably did,” said Pidge. “The real questions lay in how it developed from that point forward. What’s similar, what’s different?”  

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Lance staring at them evenly. “I get maybe 35 percent of this conversation.”

Keith snorted but Sven and Lotor shot him warning glances. He covered his mouth and coughed instead. 

Pidge waved a dismissive hand. “Physics isn’t for everyone. What about you, Lotor? Did the Galra have any theories for something like this?”

“They did,” said Lotor with a slight frown. “But I’m no physicist. My mother was the scientist. In fact, she was the one that found the first interdimensional comet.”

“The one this craft was built from?” asked Sven.

“The very same.” Lotor got a distant look in his eyes. “She knew it was important but never had the proper time to figure out why. Father bored of the research and deemed it ordinary making it easy for her to gift it to me. She was positive she could find more, but sadly that never came to be.”

Hunk opened his mouth to offer condolences but the shrill sound of an alarm suddenly cut through the mess hall. Pidge and Lance let out some colorful curses as everyone scrambled from their seats to rush back to the bridge. Lotor made it there first and came to an abrupt halt causing several people to pile up behind him. Before anyone could question why, the craft came to a stop, throwing them off balance.

 Sven regained his balance and looked out to the viewport as the alarm abruptly cut off. A familiar figure stood out starkly against it. “You!” he cried out impulsively. “You’re back!”

Lotor turned a horrified face towards him. “This is the Altean woman you saw?” he asked, voice wavering slightly.

Sven nodded. “Who is she?”

“Princess Allura,” breathed Lotor, almost sounding reverent. “The woman that became the most powerful Empress of the Altean Empire.”

“We are at the edge of the nebula,” said Allura glancing over her shoulder. Her clear, blue eyes swept over Lotor quickly before returning to the viewport. “I would suggest taking the controls before we exit.”

Lance rushed to the pilot seat despite the fact the entity masked as an Altean empress was standing close to it. Others followed his lead and took their seats as well. Lotor, Acxa, and Sven remained standing. Sven tried to approach her and Lotor grasped his arm in a painfully tight hold, jerking him back.

“Why would you take such a terrible form?” spat Lotor, anger replacing fear. “If you are seeking to communicate with us peacefully, this is an atrocious approach.”

“I told him there would be more mistakes,” said Allura evenly. She finally turned around just as the forward hull of the craft broke through the red clouds. Darkness filled with pinpoints of light bloomed behind her, as well as the crisp white surface of a nearby planet. “Besides, what makes you assume that we want to communicate peacefully?”

The sight of her face set Lotor’s mind and heart racing. Complex emotions ricocheted off one another vying for dominance. Admiration was a knee jerk reaction but resentment and hatred followed soon after. Something vaguely resembling pity or regret bubbled up as well, making him sick to his stomach.

Allura honed in on him and started to approach, taking deliberate steps forward. He used every ounce of fortitude he possessed to hold his ground as she drew closer. Acxa tried to step between them but he gently pushed her aside. Allura did not stop until she was so close he could easily embrace her and stupidly that was the first impulse he had.

“The strength of your emotions is intoxicating,” she said, leaning forward as if she was attempting to smell them, and for all he knew she could. “I would like to offer you this body to do whatever you please with.”

Lotor’s hand twitched at the suggestion and he took a shuddering breath. “I would likely kill you,” he said, though he wasn’t quite sure that was the truth.

“You can’t kill me,” she whispered with a lopsided smile.

The phrase hit Lotor like a blow to the chest and he finally staggered backwards, away from her. She had spoken those exact words to him during their last encounter when he had tried to kill her. His heart pounded mercilessly in his chest as the memory resurfaced, hazy and heartbreaking. Acxa rushed to his side, offering support, and he clung to her in desperation for an anchor.

“What do you want?!” she yelled trying to shield Lotor’s body with her own.

Allura’s expression went eerily blank. “I have already told you what we want.”

“Experience and knowledge,” said Keith, finally speaking up.

“That’s right.” Allura turned her focus towards him and paused for a moment, likely reading his mind however they did so. “You are strong as well. Strong and full of secrets. Lovely.”

“Everyone has secrets,” said Sven approaching Allura cautiously. “If we agree to cooperate, would you consider helping us with our mission?”

“Ah, yes, your endeavor to overthrow these morally ambiguous creatures that have taken over your universe,” said Allura, eyes sparkling with something similar to mischief. “I have no idea how we could be of any use to you in such a scenario, but we could certainly try to figure something out.”

Lotor opened his mouth to protest but no sound came out. He hated himself in that moment, letting debilitating weakness creep through his body like a disease. There was no time for someone of his stature and ability to fold under pressure and stress but that was exactly what he was doing.

“Good, thank you,” said Sven. “May I request one condition?”

Allura nodded.

“Don’t harm any of us in your pursuit of knowledge,” he said, though they didn’t really have anything to bargain with if she refused.

“As I have said before, your physical and mental boundaries are largely unknown to us so I can make no such promise.” Allura offered him a gentle smile. “I’m not sure it would be worth it to even try.”

“You can’t gain any knowledge from us if we’re dead,” reasoned Keith tersely.

“Dead?” she asked in a puzzled tone. “Oh, the state in which your energy converts from this form to another. I believe there may still be something there to work with, but it certainly wouldn’t be optimal. We will try not to harm you, then.”

“Thank you,” said Sven, deflating slightly in relief. He knew there was still a chance these entities could carelessly injure or kill them, but it was a lower chance than before. “How long do you suppose this will take?”

Allura shrugged. “Your concepts of time measurement are one of the more difficult things for us to grasp. They seem short, so I don’t think it will take too long.”

“What about these planets?” asked Lance pointing out the viewport as the Veda soared past the barren surface of the nearest one. “Do any of them hold life or resources? An oxygen rich atmosphere?”

“Nitrogen would help too,” added Hunk.

“There are a few planets closer to the sun that hold life and resources you may find useful,” said Allura. “Nothing like you exists on them, however.”

“Good enough, thanks,” said Pidge scanning the system. The sensors were finally working but not as reliably as she wanted. “Is there something creating interference here?”

“It’s possible the sensors got damaged from the jump,” said Hunk already running diagnostics on them.

“Or it’s radiation.” Pidge scrunched up her nose and looked out the viewport at the two colorful nebulas in the distance that probably weren’t as far away as they looked. “We don’t have things like that in our universe, at least not that we can see like this, and who knows what they’re emitting.”

“Find one of those planets, Pidge,” said Sven. “Maybe if we land the Veda on one we’ll be out of the range of anything potentially harmful. At the very least, it’ll give us a chance to properly analyze our surroundings.”

“Sure thing,” said Pidge tapping her HUD a few times and waiting as it scanned. “There they are. Two planets, like sisters. I’m sending them your way, Lance. Just pick one. Sensors are still wonky so if it’s no good we’ll hop to the other.”

Sven turned to ask the empress her advice but she had vanished. “I take it they haven’t learned what a proper farewell is yet,” he muttered. “Are we low on anything yet? I can’t imagine we would be.”

“No, we’re fine, but I would not pass up an opportunity to seek out interdimensional cooking ingredients,” said Hunk.

“Plus it never hurts to top off the water tanks,” added Pidge. “Most of it gets recycled, but it still gets consumed, faster now with two more people aboard.”

“Good points.” Sven glanced back over his shoulder to see that Lotor and Acxa were now missing as well. He wondered if he should go check on him after such a traumatic event.

“Leave him be,” said Keith as if reading Sven’s mind. “I’m positive he doesn’t want the company or questions right now.”

Sven sighed and finally made his way to his station, sitting down heavily. “Well, if we do somehow survive this, I’m sure it will at least be interesting.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

With the engines in a precarious state, Hunk advised they should only use low thrusters to get to the planet, so it took some time. The first planet came into view, an orb of violet and glistening blue, which meant it likely had water. As the Veda descended into its layers of atmosphere, they noticed the purple color came from its abundant forests of violet trees and shrubs. It also contained what appeared to be a sea nearby, so Lance set the craft down near its coast.

“This system’s star must produce peaks of radiation in the UV spectrum,” said Pidge, gazing out the viewport.

“Is the atmosphere safe to breathe?” asked Sven.   

“Yeah, it’s safe, but I wouldn’t spend too much time out in that light just in case.” Pidge returned to typing on her laptop. “The sensors are functioning better but they’re still a bit off.”

“I’d like to take a look at them,” said Hunk standing and stretching. “Catch ya later.” He waved as he strolled away.

“What about the water?” persisted Sven.

“You’d be better off with the sensors in our suits to determine that.” Pidge shrugged. “I’m not detecting anything out of the ordinary but better safe than sorry.”

“I haven’t been planetside in a while!” sang Lance springing from his seat and bounding off the bridge.

“Take someone with you!” Sven called after him. He received no response and wondered if he was even heard.

“I’ll go with him,” said Keith, also stretching after he stood. “It’ll be nice to get some fresh air…well, I hope it’s fresh.”

“Be careful out there, we don’t know what’s living on this planet.”

Keith nodded once and jogged off after Lance. Sven stood with his arms crossed for a moment, trying to fight the nagging feeling he was currently useless. Keeping the team a cohesive unit was a distinctly important task, though, so he figured he better check up on Lotor.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Keith walked steadily behind Lance as he practically skipped down the ramp onto the strange lavender grass. Even though Pidge had said the air was fine, they still wore their helmets since most of the sensor readouts came through them. By his calculations, it was evening for them by then, but they were stepping out into the blaring brightness of day. Interplanetary travel always wreaked havoc on your circadian rhythm, and the mere thought had Keith yawning.

“This place is so beautiful!” proclaimed Lance already tugging off his helmet. He took a deep breath and sighed out with a smile. “It smells great! Kind of like vanilla and sweet pea.”      

The grass eventually tapered off to sand and the rhythmic lull of the water. They gazed out at it and wondered how large it was. Keith tilted his head back and saw a vast, purple hued sky before looking down towards the water gently lapping sand close to his boots. He pressed a button on the side of the helmet and a number of holographic readouts displayed on the inside of the glass shield.

“You getting this, Pidge?” he asked after opening up the general comm. line.

“Yeah, I see it,” she responded, her voice cutting through with a bit of static. “It’s safe. We’ll use it to top off the tanks later. Hopefully in the morning…whenever that is for us.”

“So I can swim in this?” asked Lance, already groping around for the toothless seam zippers on his suit.

“If you really want to, knock yourself out,” said Pidge, smirk practically evident in her tone.

“You can’t be serious,” said Keith, finally tugging off his helmet. The air did smell amazing. The sun seemed unnaturally harsh, though, and the temperature bordered on oppressive.

“Come on, Keith, you’ve already seen me naked.” Lance started the arduous task of discarding armor and peeling off his suit in earnest. “It’s not like I’m going to offend your delicate sensibilities. Pretty sure you don’t have those.”

“Please record this for blackmailing purposes,” came Hunk’s amused voice through the comm. link in Keith’s helmet.

“Haha, very funny! That would only work if I was ashamed of my body, which I am most certainly not,” retorted Lance as he pulled off each arm guard then freed his arms one at a time. “There’s a reason my bed was always warm.”

“Yeah, you were in it alone,” quipped Pidge, unable to resist taking a jab. It was that kind of friendly banter that helped keep them sane while out on dangerous or long missions.

“You’re just jealous.” Lance continued to wiggle out of the thick, tight material until he had to sit down and take off the knee guards and boots. The belt had already been discarded. “Come oooon, Keith, join me! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We can say we got to swim on a planet in an alternate dimension!”

“You know…he does have a good point,” said Hunk. “Now I feel like coming out there, though I am already outside checking the Veda for external damage.”

“Come on over, buddy!” called Lance down to his underwear, which Keith was now aware were midrise briefs. He showed absolutely no shame as he tugged those off as well and threw them on the nearby pile of tactical suit pieces.

Without giving it too much thought, Keith started to methodically pull off his guards and suit as well. Lance wasn’t even paying attention to him anymore, more focused on easing himself into the water, which he declared was perfectly warm. Keith tried not to stare at his bared ass, suddenly reminded that it was indeed a very nice ass. Part of him wanted to keep his underwear on, but getting back into the suit with them wet would feel gross and squishy. Naturally, Lance looked back just in time to witness him to sliding them off.

Lance let out an obnoxious whooping sound and dived into the water, reemerging feet away with his brown hair plastered to his head. He shook the excess water from it and beckoned Keith to come in. Keith rolled his eyes and trudged into the sea or lake before diving in much like Lance had done.

His senses were cradled by the warm water, swishing and bubbling pleasantly around him. Keith always had loved being under water and the feeling of protection and calm it brought him. When he resurfaced, he shook the long bangs from his face, gaze simply taking in the serene moment. A cool current ran past his legs, caressing the exposed skin and causing him to shiver.

“Feels fucking fantastic, huh?” asked Lance suddenly floating beside Keith.

Keith responded by splashing Lance in the face and swimming away. Lance gave chase, and if Keith was being honest Lance was a better swimmer. He caught up with Keith quickly and dunked him with a triumphant laugh. It surprised Keith enough that he didn’t close his eyes when he went under, which was a good thing because it allowed him to see it.

A massive, black creature materialized from the dark depths nearby and started gliding towards them. Wonderful.

Squashing his initial panic, Keith emerged sputtering and pointing. Lance caught the hint immediately and slipped below the surface, only to come back up in a similar state.

“Shit, shit, shit,” chanted Lance starting to swim backwards. “We’re sitting ducks out here and damn does this continental shelf slope off fast.”

“Come on, let’s go for it!” shouted Keith turning and pushing his limbs to move as fast as they could through the water. Despite his efforts, he didn’t seem to be advancing quickly enough.

“Is it just me…or is this water getting thicker?” panted Lance beside Keith as he swung his arms laboriously through the fluid.

Keith looked to the shore and watched it warp slightly and stretch out further, making him dizzy. The water started to feel like jelly and something slithered up around his ankle to his calf. The same was probably happening to Lance since he cried out in shock and looked like he was attempting to shake it off.

“Keith, Keeeeith!” he shouted, flailing, trying to grasp him as they were pulled away from each other. “What’s happenin-“

The world went abruptly silent as Keith was yanked under the water. Out of reflex, he shut his eyes as he felt his body being tugged further down into the depths, but forced them open. If nothing else, he wanted to see the creature that was attempting to drown him. He was frustrated and confused to realize that the only thing he could see was a rapidly dimming expanse of water. Looking down, his leg was firmly in the grip of a black tentacle and below it were several more, slithering against each other.

The tentacles soon unfurled all at once, revealing a large golden eye in their center mass, shot through with spikes of amber and framing a slit pupil. The lines of where it began or ended were obscured by the growing darkness and Keith felt his lungs starting to burn. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to struggle and fight to the surface but he feared that would deplete what little oxygen he had left to burn.

It suddenly occurred to him that his current predicament might not even really be happening and was a trial orchestrated by the entities. Still, it seemed well enough within the realm of possibility that he wasn’t sure. Would he become the first fatality of their mistakes? As a mouth opened below his feet, rowed with thousands of sharp teeth, stark white against the creature’s skin, he said a few quick prayers in his head. They were ones he had often heard his dad muttering when he was actually around, and he’d retained them probably more due to sheer repetition than importance or value.   

He did not want to resign to this fate. Not after everything he had been through and the struggle it had been to even live till that point. But his lungs were also approaching a critical point, one he knew would trigger him to breathe whether he liked it or not. He kicked weakly with his foot, testing the creature’s strength and it held fast. Figuring there was no other option, he tried to swim upwards.

Many things happened at once, all of which his brain struggled to process. The creature let him go only to immediately wind another tentacle around his waist, his body was jerked down towards its mouth, and its face suddenly erupted into a cloud of green.

The tentacle fell slack around Keith’s torso, and he tried to struggle towards the surface. His body felt like lead, muscles refusing to obey his ardent commands. He reached up, desperate and hopeful, stretched out his fingers towards the light. As the sea started to fade to black, he felt someone grasp his hand. He let his head roll back as he ascended, closing his eyes against the growing light. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) or my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/)!


	6. Ch 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little past klance action in this chapter (nothing explicit). Also trigger warning for injuries and blood in a battle scenario.

### Chapter 5

 

Sven wandered around the Veda for a good ten minutes before finding Lotor sitting in the main observatory on the top deck. The dome above let in the copious sunlight, casting the room in violet hues that complimented its Galran design. It bathed Lotor’s skin in an ethereal glow and Sven imagined he was witnessing a scene from a fairy tale. He wore clothes that seemed suspiciously Altean in design, slouching slightly on the bench seat, with his long hair gathered into a messy bun.

He cleared his throat as he approached and Lotor snapped his head towards him, expression tense. When he realized it was Sven, he visibly relaxed and returned his gaze to the dome.

Lotor sighed warily. “I keep thinking she’s going to return.”

“For your sake, I hope she doesn’t,” said Sven sitting down a respectable distance away. The sun was bright enough that it hurt his eyes so he squinted at Lotor. “How are you holding up?”

“Do you want the truth or the lie I’m trying to convince myself of?” asked Lotor glancing at him with a strained smile.

“Always the truth,” said Sven without hesitation. “Even if I don’t like it.”

Lotor glanced at Sven once again before looking down to his hands where he was fiddling with a piece of jewelry, an opalescent stone in a simple setting attached to a chain. He noticed and held it up, watching it twirl. “It was my mother’s. She gave it to me when I was young because I thought it was pretty. All of these vibrant colors locked in a dark stone that took an impossibly long time to form. I used to wear it all the time but fell out of the habit. Maybe I should do so again, now that she’s…gone.”

“I’m sorry this has all been thrust upon you so suddenly.” Sven sought out Lotor’s eyes. He always felt better making eye contact during serious conversations, like it somehow helped convey the gravity of the situation. “I want to let you know, you and Acxa are part of our team now, and we take care of each other. I know you probably don’t trust us yet, and I don’t blame you. I don’t think I would either in your situation, but we are still here for you.”

“Thank you, I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Lotor took the pendant and moved to clip it around his neck. He let his fingers run over it once it was settled on his chest. “I believe my strength has returned to a reasonable degree and I would like it if we could leave this dimension as soon as possible.”

“As much as I want to agree with you, I don’t think we should be so hasty to leave,” said Sven. During the course of their conversation, the sunlight had waned slightly and that hopefully meant night would be happening soon. “We don’t know how these entities operate, but it seems like they don’t have corporeal forms. What if one of them accidentally hitches a ride back with us and moves on to cause trouble back home?”

Lotor grimaced. “Good point. I suppose we’ll have to see this game out till the end then.”

“Looks that way.” Sven instinctively patted Lotor on the back, as he would any team member, and stood up. “I’m going to go check on everyone’s progress. If you need to talk, you know where to find me.”

Lotor nodded and watched as Sven strolled out the room. Witnessing the team’s casual camaraderie was certainly refreshing, and he was happy to be included in their unit, but he did not yet feel more important than a tool. They needed him to operate the device. His worth outside that task was yet to be established. So far, it was much too early to say either way. Fingers seeking out the necklace once again, he returned his eyes to the heavens.

 

 

* * *

               

 

Keith woke with a startled gasp and continued to take large, gulping breaths of air. The room around him came into focus so slowly he worried he had suffered some kind of damage from oxygen deprivation. It was dim with heavy drapes sloppily closed over large windows that dominated most of the walls, dark wood paneling, equally dark furniture, a massive flat screen television hanging on the wall, and a large, comfortable mattress beneath his prone form. It took him a moment, but he recognized where he was, and also how impossible that fact was.

When he rolled over, he saw the naked expanse of Lance’s back at the edge of the bed.   

“This was a mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t,” said Keith, because he remembered he had said that on that morning.

“But…you were drunk,” persisted Lance standing up and angrily tugging on his boxers. “Drunk and grieving. I had no right to take advantage of you. I acted like a common creep.”

Keith sat up and groaned, rubbing a hand over his face and mussing his already wild hair. “Oh my god, please, shut up. I wanted this to happen or I wouldn’t have come on to you. I needed some comfort. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing’s wrong with wanting comfort,” said Lance plopping down on the bed again with a resigned sigh. “Most people don’t fuck their friends for it, though. I really don’t want this to ruin our friendship.”

Keith knew what he had said in response, to not let it affect them, but he didn’t want to repeat that script. The entities were clearly fishing around in his memories for something useful and they seemed to love tense emotional moments the most. Why not make it more interesting? He could direct it one of two ways, completely different than the passive, bland reality that played out.

“You’re not my friend,” said Keith casually folding his arms over his propped up legs. “I’m just using you for sex and a place to crash, food too.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Lance was good at sex and cooking, though he certainly hadn’t been using him for those things at the time.

Lance’s expression did some interesting shifts before settling on hurt. “You’re…joking, right?” he asked quietly.

“No, sorry. You’re a good lay but your personality sucks. Too loud, too obnoxious, too shallow-“

Keith was cut off as a pillow struck him in the side of the head, then the other side, and various places about his torso. He put his arms up to shield the assault. The down filling was not forgiving as it hit his body.

“How dare you say that, you son of a bitch?!” cried Lance as he continued to hit Keith with the pillow. “I did everything in my power to pull you out of that pit of depression and self-loathing! I was there for you! And you still threw me away like I was fucking garbage!”

Genuinely surprised by the response, Keith sprang into action, ripping the pillow from Lance’s hand and grasping him by the upper arms. He spun Lance around on the bed and sat on him still holding his arms.

Keith scrutinized him through a curtain of bangs. “This isn’t just a reenactment. It’s really you, isn’t it?”

“Is that how you really felt that morning?” asked Lance, ignoring the question. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes bored into Keith’s like he could rip the answer from his brain with sheer force of will.

“Does it really matter anymore?” Keith released Lance and sat back on his heels. “I thought we moved on from this.”

“So you really did just use me,” mumbled Lance wiping his face as he scooted into a sitting position. New tears started cutting paths down his cheeks and he scrubbed at them, trying to stifle his quiet sobs.

Keith sighed. “I didn’t mean to but isn’t that what we all do to each other if you get right down to it? I didn’t think it meant anything to you. You were so adamant about retaining our friendship I figured it was best to forget it ever happened.”

“Because…I was scared you would go away otherwise.” Lance hiccupped and took a shaky breath. “I couldn’t stand the thought of losing another friend back then. I still can’t.”

Keith wanted to tell him he wouldn’t have gone anywhere, but wasn’t sure that was true. He was not the type of person that told comforting lies. “Why are you here with me? Did you get sucked underwater too?” he asked, redirecting the conversation.

Lance nodded, no longer crying. “I think someone shot that creature. I felt myself being pulled up but lost consciousness.”

“So what do you think they want us to do here?” Keith looked around the room, then down at his naked body. “You don’t think they want us to-“ He trailed off giving Lance a questioning look.

“I don’t know…maybe?” Lance relaxed a bit, sprawling his long legs on either side of Keith. “You haven’t told Sven yet, have you?”

“I haven’t told anyone anything,” snapped Keith. “It’s none of their business.”

Lance shook his head. “I told Hunk like the day it happened and I’m pretty sure he told Pidge. Sven deserves to know too.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Just because you think it’s not important, doesn’t mean he won't,” said Lance, using one of his legs to kick Keith lightly, which earned him a death glare. “Honesty is important in all relationships.”

“I never said it wasn’t important, I said it was none of their business,” clarified Keith, sliding away. He stepped off the bed and searched the clothes on the floor for his underwear or pants. Unsuccessful, he turned towards Lance with a few random items in hand. “You’re a slob, by the way.”

“Not really,” said Lance flopping back down on his bed and stretching. “Are you ashamed of what we did or afraid of how Sven will react?”

“None of the above.” Keith gave up with a frustrated growl and stalked over to the window, drawing a curtain open. The familiar desert landscape greeted him and he felt terribly homesick.

“Then tell him! This is Sven we’re talking about. He won’t be an ass about it.” Lance rolled onto his side, dragging some covers over his body. “God, I miss this bed so much. Can I stay here and just, I don’t know…sleep forever?”               

Keith looked back over his shoulder and smiled. “Hey, Lance,” he started as he returned his gaze to the expanse of sand and rocky hills in the distance. “Even though it only lasted one night, it was good. You were good…and I’m sorry it turned out the way it did. I wasn’t myself.”

After a moment of silence and a small sniffle, Lance responded. “I know. But thanks for telling me.”

The next thing Keith registered was opening his eyes once again. He immediately recognized his surroundings as the inside of a healing pod, and detecting he was conscious, the barrier started to dissolve. He stumbled out of it, rubbing his face. Thanks to the pod he felt fine, but was positive he had inhaled some water on the way to the surface.

He expected Lance to emerge from another pod, but that never happened. All the other pods were empty. Maybe Lance hadn’t been injured as badly as him. Nobody else was around either, so Keith made his way back to his room to change. As he peeled the tight regeneration suit off, he wondered if they had carried him back to the Veda naked. He was by no means a prude, but it was still a little embarrassing to consider. That was the last time he went skinny dipping on an unknown planet. Unless he had a weapon nearby, he added thoughtfully.

It had to be their night cycle by then because all of the lighting was dimmed. Now dressed in a simple t-shirt and Capri pants, Keith wandered to the bridge to see if anyone was still awake. It was empty and apparently the punishing sun had set because the viewport displayed an expanse of dark sky spectacularly speckled with stars. No visible moon hung in its sky so the terrain was nearly pitch-black. He padded past the softly glowing consoles and stared outside, straining his eyes to catch any potential movement of native creatures.

“Keith! You’re awake,” called a voice that caused him to jump and spin around.

“Lance,” he sighed, relaxing his stance. “Glad to see you’re okay.”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he said walking up beside Keith to also stare out the viewport. “That thing let go of me when it pulled you under so I booked it to shore to get my weapon. Took a couple shots, but I got it. Hunk heard me yelling so he ran over to see what was up. He was the one that ended up getting you out of the water. That guy sure can swim!”

“Wait, what?” Keith frowned. “I thought…did you have a flashback or dream with me in it?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Lance casting him a puzzled look.

“But…but we talked about…that night-“

Lance continued staring at him perplexed until his expression suddenly fell. “Oh,” he said upon realization. Even though the statement had been vague, he understood. “ _That_ night.”

“Lance, it’s been almost two years,” said Keith quietly. Apparently the entire bonding experience they shared had been constructed by the entities and never really happened. Go figure. His life rarely gave him easy outs.

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Lance started to walk away waving a hand. “I’m just not ready to talk about it yet. Maybe soon. Listen, it’s late. Get some rest.”

Keith wanted to yell after him that they would probably die before Lance was ready but lacked the energy for a confrontation. Healing pods were amazing but still left you generally exhausted. Cell growth was still cell growth and it took energy. Taking one last glance out the viewport, he thought about the advice “Lance” had given him in the dream. He really should tell Sven what had happened, especially considering how close they’d grown. The longer he waited, the worse the outcome could be.

Next thing Keith knew, he was standing before Sven’s door, hand up and prepared to knock. The door suddenly slid open and Sven startled at the sight of him.

“I was just about to check on you,” he said rubbing his eyes and smiling. “I’m so glad you’re okay. That was pretty scary.”

“Um, what happened, exactly?” asked Keith, shifting on his feet. The floor felt pretty cold for a change and he rarely thought to put on socks.

Sven moved aside and motioned for Keith to come inside. The blanket he had used earlier was still lying in a heap where he left it, so he picked it up and wrapped it around his shoulders without much thought. The area rug under his feet felt nice as he wiggled his toes.

“Long story short, you drowned,” said Sven plopping down on his bed with a huff. “I heard Hunk’s panicked messages through the comm. and Lance screaming in the background. I got out there as fast as I could just as they were pulling you onto the shore. You weren’t breathing and I just…froze. My mind went completely blank at the sight of you lying there. Some leader I make, huh?”

“Sven-“

“It was Lance that ended up resuscitating you.” Sven let out a ragged sigh and scrubbed his hands over his face. He frowned down at the prosthetic like he had forgotten it was there. “In the end everything turned out okay, but I had nothing to do with it. Well…I did carry you back here, so I suppose that’s something.”

Keith moved to situate himself on the floor in front of Sven. He rested his hands on Sven’s knees to draw his attention. “Stop that. You might not see it, but you’re the glue that holds this team together. Without you we wouldn’t be out here trying to save our world and countless others. We would just be more mindless slaves to the Altean Empire or worse, and we certainly wouldn’t be here exploring an alternate dimension.”

“An alternate dimension that almost got you killed.”

“How is this any different than the other missions we’ve been sent on?” asked Keith, trying to make eye contact with Sven who seemed intent on staring at the floor instead. “I mean, yeah, it would’ve sucked to be a tasty snack for some hideous sea creature or whatever it was, but I got out of it safe thanks to our team. The team you help keep sane and together for that very reason.”

Sven finally met his eyes but it was short lived as he tugged Keith up for a sudden hug. Keith wheezed as his ribcage compressed and wondered if sometimes Sven did not know his own strength. 

“Hey, Sven,” said Keith, awkwardly trying to struggle his arms around Sven’s torso. “After we rest, or after this all calms down a bit…I need to tell you something.”

“Okay,” said Sven letting his arms relax and his hands fall to Keith’s hips. “Goodnight, Keith.”

Keith wanted nothing more than to crawl past Sven and fall asleep on his bed, next to the comforting heat of his body. He forced himself to stand and shuffle across the carpet. He had things to think about and did not need to complicate anything in the meantime. Sven said nothing more as Keith left the room with his blanket still draped over his shoulders.

When he finally collapsed on his bed, Keith pulled the blanket more tightly around his shoulders. It smelled faintly of Sven and he let the scent seep into his mind, lazily pulling up memories of their time together prior to Sven leaving on the Kerberos mission. He hoped the entities were watching those too because they were some of the best days of his life.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lotor had been reluctant to actually fall asleep but found he could no longer keep his eyes open. Sleep came swiftly, nearly as soon as his head hit the pillow, and it seemed he awoke only minutes later feeling fine. He stretched and climbed out of bed a bit confused if he had actually rested at all. His intuition nagged at him that it was definitely the entities doing and some horror was awaiting him outside his quarter’s door, but he was determined not to be cowardly anymore.

After brushing and fixing his hair into a half-up style, he left his room and walked to the galley. Nobody was awake yet and there was no caf, sadly. He hadn’t thought to ask how you went about making it and made a mental note to learn later. Strangely, there were a few food items in the conservator and compartments that seemed to be Galran in nature. He selected one that resembled fruit and ate it as he walked to the bridge.     

He dropped his food as soon as he saw the early sunlight framing the massive form of his father standing in front of the viewport. The entities really could afford to be more creative when placing their copies, but he supposed it was appropriately dramatic to present them that way.

“My son, how have you been?” he asked glancing over his shoulder.

Lotor sighed and bent over to pick up his fruit before walking to stand beside his father, the once King Zarkon of the planet Daibazaal. He idly wondered if the planet even existed anymore. He doubted it. “I’m fine, but you are not my father.”

“You are correct,” said Zarkon with a slight smile. “But I believe I’ve read enough of your and Axca’s memories to imitate him well. He was a very interesting and powerful being.”

“That he was,” nodded Lotor. “Though, we were never very close, so I wonder at this choice.”

“He was still the largest authority figure in your life.” Zarkon moved back to a console and pressed a few buttons to bring up a HUD. It displayed a random video of himself slaying some enemies in battle before shifting to a scene where he was personally training Lotor in the art of the sword. “This is a concept we are still vague on. I thought to take the empress’s form again, but she really had no authority until after you were put into stasis.”

Lotor shivered. “That is true. Our relationship was much more…complicated.” He looked up at his father and tried to stamp down the feeling of comfort that bubbled up in his chest just from the sight of him.

“Even though this man was intimidating in stature, I’m finding that he was not as cruel as he appeared,” said Zarkon terminating the HUD.

“He still had his moments,” said Lotor as a few unpleasant memories tried to surface. He ignored them. “The Galrans were like any other species of beings. We are fallible and subject to making mistakes. Sometimes very terrible mistakes. Still, we were never as devious as the Alteans.”

“I see.” Zarkon nodded and put a clawed hand to his square chin. “We would have loved the opportunity to meet an Altean, though. Would you like to spar?”

Lotor blinked a few times, stunned. It had been a long time since he had sparred with his father, even before the stasis. “I’ll get my sword,” he said with little hesitation. He honestly credited his father with the fact he was a master swordsmen. Having another opportunity to spar with him was beyond amazing and he planned to enjoy it thoroughly.

He heard the deep rumble of Zarkon’s laugh as he rushed off the bridge and knew he would be in the training room waiting for him once he got there.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

On his way back to the engine room, Hunk noticed Sven and Keith huddled in the door of the training room. He also heard clanging noises coming from within the room and decided to go over to investigate. Before he could even utter a question he was struck silent by the sight of Lotor sparring with a very large alien.

They moved and spun around each other with fluid grace, blocking and striking with practiced ease. Their skills seemed to be evenly matched because one could not get the best of the other. Metal impacted and slid, sharp sounds bouncing off the walls as the mesmerizing dance continued. It was no wonder Sven and Keith had been staring transfixed.

“Wait a minute! I recognize the guy!” blurted out Hunk suddenly, startling Keith and Sven. “That’s Zarkon!”

The outburst caught Lotor’s attention, but he still managed to parry his father’s attack so well it sent the sword flying out of Zarkon’s hand.

“Well done, my son,” said Zarkon with a laugh. “I’ve enjoyed this. Please, take care of yourself. Your mother would be very upset if anything happened to you.”

Lotor wanted to scoff at the large imposter and remind him that he wasn’t his father, but the exchange seemed so natural. It suddenly struck him how that was probably the last chance he would have to see his father, to hear his voice. Even with an audience intruding on the moment, he decided to make the most of it.

“Thank you, father.” Lotor walked up to him and reached out a hand. He had never been particularly affectionate with Lotor, but he wanted some physical contact as a farewell.

Zarkon grasped Lotor’s forearm and smiled down at him. “I know I never said it enough, but I love you, son. You’ve made me very proud. Keep traveling and I think you will find what you are searching for.”

And then he was gone, vanishing within the blink of an eye. Lotor looked down at his arm hanging in the air and his vision went blurry with tears. Even though he was getting some twisted form of closure it brought with it an intense cocktail of emotions. Mostly anger over what could’ve been, what was cruelly taken from him by that horrible empress.

Lotor tossed his sword carelessly onto the floor and charged out of the room. Tears be damned, he was allowed to be upset about everything that had happened. Sven, Keith, and Hunk scrambled out of the doorway as he approached and he walked past them without a word. He kept walking, blindly down the corridors he knew so well, ignoring Sven calling out to him, not really caring where his feet took him.

“Hey, buddy, where are you going?” asked Lance, seeing Lotor barreling down a corridor looking upset.

“Out,” barked Lotor continuing to the lockers with the spacesuits in them. Apparently his feet thought a walkabout was a good idea.

“You can’t go out there alone!” Lance rushed to his side but didn’t invade his personal space. “Did you hear what happened to Keith and me yesterday? If there’s creatures like that in the sea here, who knows what’s in the forests. Do you even have a weapon?”

Lotor gave him an annoyed glance before opening the locker and pressing a series of buttons on a small keypad. Two compartment doors slid open revealing sleek dark gray and purple tactical suits with a variety of side arms hung around them. He shrugged off the long cardigan he wore and pulled off his boots, leaving on his pants and sleeveless undershirt.

“These suits were specially made for me and the crew of the Veda,” said Lotor removing one and starting to put it on. “The material is quite tough and will resist most blaster bolts, but there is additional armor that fits over the chest, arms, and legs. I bet you had no idea they were even here.”

“Well, why would we?” asked Lance taking off his jacket and shoes. “Pidge has been working hard to figure out the Veda’s secrets but we’ve haven’t had a lot of time yet. Seems like whenever we did have a little downtime the Guns sent us off on another mission.”

Lotor peered at Lance through a curtain of hair as he started putting on a suit as well. “It…sounds like you have been working hard to resist the Altean Empire then. What kind of missions did you go on?”

“Lots of reconnaissance stuff, information gathering, plenty of sabotage, those were my favorites, undercover work, though most of that was done by Thace, Ulaz, and a few others since they blend in better.” Lance rattled off the list as he finished putting on the suit. Next he tugged on the boots, wondering how they always seemed to fit.

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Lotor, turning around and opening up another set of compartments on the opposite wall. The armor was in those, and he put on the chest piece as well as the arm guards. Finally he chose a small but powerful blaster.

Lance struggled with the armor part until Lotor sighed and helped him. Despite Lance’s insistence otherwise, they both took helmets with them. Just before they walked into the airlock chamber, which wasn’t really needed but they weren’t exiting through the cargo bay, Lance selected a rifle blaster.     

Instead of scaling down the side of the Veda, Lance watched as Lotor simply jumped out the hatch, engaging rockets on the back of the armor and gliding down gracefully. Lance followed without much thought and plummeted for a terrifying few seconds before figuring out they automatically activated. He landed beside Lotor with a shaky thumbs up and they started walking towards the towering purple trees and ferns.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sven had just got done checking in with everyone and had made sure they were all on task. Pidge was still fixing odds and ends of little wires that had been fried or sensors that were malfunctioning for one reason or another. Hunk was finishing up repairs on the engines though he mentioned he wanted to go on an excursion for food soon. Acxa was in the infirmary continuing to inventory and organize the supplies. Lance had informed him via comm. that he and Lotor were out exploring. He was pleased to hear they took weapons and would not be skinny dipping. That left him and Keith. He figured they could go run the tube out to the water and get the tanks topped off sooner than later.

Keith had said the previous night that he wanted to tell him something, but oddly he was nowhere to be found. Sven searched everywhere and turned up nothing. Maybe he went outside like Lotor and Lance and didn’t tell anyone. That seemed like a Keith thing to do. He tried calling him on his comm. on the private channel but received no response.

When he turned around to head to the bridge and felt a sudden wave of dizziness, he knew what was happening. With the last bit of his balance and coherence, he slumped against the wall to ease his inevitable fall. The rampant cheers of the crowd hit his ears before he even had a chance to open his eyes.

Not there. _Anywhere but there._

Row after row of the Coliseum rose up around him, packed with Alteans and aliens shouting and screaming, making bets, waiting for the fight. Sven glanced down at himself and saw that he was in his gladiator outfit, or whatever the equivalent was called. Nobody had bothered informing him. His stomach dropped when he realized he still had his lower arm, but then again, he had never been cycled back after losing it. Flexing his real fingers felt familiar yet strange.

He did not have much time to agonize over anything else because a horn blared and a distant gate opened revealing a towering alien with distinct cat-like features. As far as he could remember, this was not the battle he lost his arm during. In fact, he didn’t remember fighting this creature at all. He never told the others, but there were definitely gaps in his memories from these times. Apparently, his mind did him the favor of blocking out a lot of the trauma.

There was enough time to select a weapon and then something like a gong sounded signaling the beginning of the fight. Sven picked a sword and a dagger. He had a feeling this opponent would be agile and quick despite its size. It swung a mace at him without any preamble and he narrowly avoided its crushing blow. It then spun the weapon around its body and brought it around for another strike.

Sven ducked and rolled out of its path directly into the creature’s personal space, coming up for a slice that caught its torso and part of its chest through its leather-like armor. It made a grab for his throat but he evaded it. It did manage to land a kick to his center mass which sent him flying and rolling on the ground. He had lost his grip on the sword and scrambled to his feet, searching for it. The creature let out a laugh and kicked it aside. Great.

He spun the knife in his hand and fell into a ready stance. The mace swung at him again with unnatural speed and he sprang back. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely fast enough and one of the sharp points sliced his side as he retreated. The sting took a moment to settle in and he didn’t really have time to check if it was deep. It didn’t feel like it, but his body was full of pain numbing adrenaline at the moment.

Warmth started seeping down his side and he knew he was bleeding. He twisted his body and the muscles felt like they were working alright, but a slight tearing sensation made him nauseous. It started slowing him down and that was not something he could afford. He needed to end it soon or he was as good as done. In a reckless, last ditch effort, he leapt forward and charged at the creature leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Sven managed to sink the dagger into the creature’s neck and pulled down on the blade to hopefully slice any major blood vessels within. Before he could make the complete slice, it roared and fumbled the blade right out of his hand, nearly crushing it in the process. He was positive at least one of his fingers was broken, but that wasn’t the biggest issue. His own blade was turned on him after it was pulled out. He was temporarily blinded by the spray of warm blood that gushed out, coating his face.

He kicked off the creature but not before it had a chance to stab him in the gut. The pain took a moment to register, but it flared white hot as he hit the ground and slid to a stop. His legs tried to scoot him further away but a quick glance at his lower abdomen showed it bleeding profusely so he stilled. The creature roared again drawing his eyes up, where he witnessed it clutching its neck as blood gushed out steadily. Apparently, he had managed to get the artery. It tossed its mace in a rage and collapsed onto the ground with a thump. He didn’t think it would get up anymore.

Sven weakly clamped a hand over his wound and watched as blood seeped through his fingers. Every gush made him more lightheaded. He wanted to panic and call out for help, but he remembered them telling him he would be punished for that. They claimed to have the best doctors in the known universe and would do everything in their power to help him survive. It sounded nice in theory, until you were bleeding to death in the dirt, steadily turning into red mud.

“This is also fascinating,” came a familiar voice.

Sven looked up and saw Ulaz standing beside him. He had been at the Coliseum a few times to help with injuries. Ulaz strolled away from him and looked around the now empty rows of seats. The alien was still there, though, lying motionless on the ground.

“It’s barbaric,” said Sven letting his head fall back onto the dusty ground. Somehow his wound was still leaking. Were there even enough vessels down there to justify that? “The Alteans call themselves peaceful and high-minded, but they still organize things like this.”

“Perhaps it’s necessary to keep the peace,” said Ulaz, glancing down at him thoughtfully. “This outlet for violence is controlled. Imagine what it would be like unchecked?”

“But, they force people into it…we have no choice.”

“Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” Ulaz returned to his side and crouched down, inspecting the wound. “That is the burden of leadership. Utopian societies do not exist beyond theories and dreams.”

“That’s what they told me, yeah,” said Sven, lifting his head for a moment only to have it fall back when he found he lacked the strength to keep it there. “But as someone that has lived through this nightmare, I don’t agree. There has to be a better way to do this.”

“One that doesn’t involve slavery and death?” asked Ulaz producing a syringe out of thin air and injecting him with it.

“Yeah…that’s right.” Sven heard his own thoughts echoed back to him as the pain started to fade away. A sense of euphoria replaced it, flowing pleasantly through his body like a warm wind.

“We understand why you want to fight the Altean Empire, now,” said Ulaz, smoothing the bangs away from his forehead and leaning into his field of vision. “Thank you for sharing this with us.”

“It’s…a little deeper than this, but you’re welcome.” Sven blinked a couple times as everything started to grow dim. He couldn’t tell whether it was the blood loss or pain killers. He hoped they were monitoring his vitals in some way and wouldn’t let him actually die.

Within seconds, the arena went dark. Muttered, rushed phrases flitted in on the fringes of his perception, then warmth on his lips. His vision flickered back and he saw Keith’s face retreating. Even though Keith was likely giving him BLS, Sven was so happy to be alive and away from those damn Coliseum’s, he impulsively hooked a hand around the back of Keith’s neck and drew him back down. Keith made a startled noise as their lips connected but did not resist.

The sensation of actually kissing Keith after imagining what it would be like for so many years was surreal. His lips were softer than Sven imagined, moving against his hesitantly yet experienced. He wasn’t sure how long it went on, but when he attempted to deepen it, Keith abruptly pulled away.

“Stop,” he said placing a hand on Sven’s chest when he moved to follow him. “I’m glad you’re okay, but what are you doing?”

“I…I don’t know,” lied Sven. “I was just relieved and excited to see you, I guess.”

“What happened?” asked Keith. “I found you collapsed and then you stopped breathing.”

Sven sat up and leaned against the wall with a wince. He probably had more bruises from his latest tumble but didn’t care due to the reminder of what he had already survived. “They sent me back to the Coliseum during a battle. I don’t remember it, and they could’ve just made it up, but I got injured and started bleeding out. Apparently, the dream state reflects in reality in some way…which is terrifying now that I stop to think about it.”

“If I hadn’t found you, you would’ve died! We need to call this off,” said Keith, distressed.

“I don’t think that’s wise or possible at this point,” sighed Sven. “These entities obviously have a lot of power over reality as we know it. If we stop cooperating who knows how they’ll react.”

“But-“

“Keith, please,” interrupted Sven. “We have to see this through, there’s no other way. Do you think anyone else has had these types of dream experiences?”

“Maybe, not sure,” said Keith, conveniently leaving out his own dream. He wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to tell Sven about that. He did plan to tell him about the one-night stand with Lance, but the timing wasn’t right.

“Well, at least you didn’t freeze up when I needed you.”

Keith frowned at Sven and stood up. “Do I need to remind you how many times you’ve saved my ass?”

“It only takes once,” persisted Sven, also climbing to his feet. His chest was sore, likely due to the chest compressions. He rubbed it absently as they walked down the corridor.

“Sorry about that,” said Keith glancing at him but otherwise avoiding eye contact. “I know you’re going to protest, but I want to do your vitals quickly…just to be safe.”

“That’s fine.” Sven looked over at Keith and felt himself blushing slightly. “When you’re done we can run the tube out to the water.”

Keith nodded. “Sure thing, Sven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know traditional maces don’t have points, but these are alien weapons sooo *shrugs* 
> 
> Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/) or my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/)!


	7. Ch 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone aboard the smut train! It finally happens in this chapter~ 
> 
> Shout-out to [francowitch](http://francowitch.tumblr.com/) for helping me scheme up Lotor's alien biology! Thanks, babe! ♡

 

### Chapter 6

 

“Tell me again why we had to bring these helmets if we’re not wearing them?” asked Lance, following Lotor deeper into the forest.

So far the only thing they had encountered was exotic shrubbery, including some large things that looked like mushrooms. He considered picking a few for Hunk but didn’t feel like carrying them just yet. Maybe on the way back.

“Our main comm. links are in them for one. They also contain a majority of the sensors,” explained Lotor. “Plus you never know when a noxious cloud of gas may show up.”

Lance immediately thought about cracking a bad joke but wondered if it would be lost on Lotor. “Fair enough. Next question, why are we out here?”

“I felt like clearing my head,” said Lotor stopping to gaze around. “After seeing the empress and my father in the span of nearly one day, I’m a bit overwhelmed. And as you well know, we don’t always get a chance to take leisurely strolls somewhere with an atmosphere.”

“Good point…wait, did you say you saw your father?!” Lance exclaimed, grabbing Lotor’s arm to stop him from walking off again.

“Yes, earlier this morning. We sparred and then he vanished.” Lotor refused to turn towards Lance and he tried to imagine what kind of expression Lotor was making. “While it was lovely, it was also disconcerting.”

“You miss him, huh?” asked Lance releasing his arm. “I miss my family too, even my obnoxious sister.”

“I haven’t had much time to ponder it yet, but yes, I miss both of my parents.” Lotor finally turned towards Lance. His expression was relaxed but his eyes were pensive. “Have the entities shown you anyone or anything yet?”

“Nope,” shrugged Lance. “Maybe I’m not interesting enough.”

“I severely doubt that,” said Lotor with a smirk. He looked around briefly before continuing in a new direction. “They could certainly afford to learn some kindness from you.”

Lance blushed at the compliment. “Th-that’s right!” he said rushing to catch up. “There’s a couple more things I’m pretty good at that they might be interested in too.”

“Oh, I bet,” laughed Lotor, fixing his hair up loosely and tugging on his helmet. “Let’s forage for something edible.”

Lance smiled and put the dark helmet on, watching as the holographic sensors lit up. Maybe Hunk would get those mushrooms after all.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hunk trudged onto the bridge and tossed a diagnostic tool onto the ground before collapsing onto a seat. “It’s finally finished!” he declared.

Pidge glanced at him from her position huddled into a ball at her station. “That was actually pretty fast, all things considered,” she said, promptly returning her attention to her laptop and HUD.

“If it breaks the next jump, I’m leaving it broken,” said Hunk bringing up his console’s HUD. He pulled up some readings and nodded at them as they scrolled. “Oh thank god, everything looks fine. I even managed to fix a couple broken sensors on the outer hull. Speaking of which, how’s it going on your end? Anything useful?”

“This universe, or reality, whatever, has been a nightmare on our sensors.” Pidge sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I mean…I’m getting plenty of readings, but they’re inconsistent or fragmented so it’s hard to make sense of them.”

“Making sense of the sensors, ha!” Hunk laughed. He stood up and walked over to her station, putting his hands on her shoulders, once again noticing how big they looked on her slender frame. “Damn, you’re tense,” he muttered instinctively starting to massage her shoulders and upper back. “Maybe you should take a break. I’m sure you deserve it.”

“I will if you make me something to eat- ouch! Careful! You really don’t know your own strength, do you?”

“I do so,” protested Hunk, easing up his grip nonetheless. “You just have a lot of knots going on here. Have you ever considered trying to sit up straighter?”

“Have you ever considered getting beaten up by a girl?”

Hunk laughed nervously and withdrew his hands. “Come on, let’s go see what we can scrounge up in the galley.”

“Hey, have you had any visits from the entities yet?” asked Pidge, standing up and stretching.

“No, and to be honest I’m a little scared of what they have in mind, if anything at all.”

“I saw dad,” said Pidge far more casually than she felt.

“Whaaat?! You saw Commander Holt?!” Hunk gawked at her as she walked off the bridge. He suddenly rushed to catch up.

“Yeah, he scared the shit out of me a bit earlier. One minute I was alone, the next he was leaning over my shoulder. Of course, he immediately started criticizing my work. Did give me a few helpful pointers, which is confusing since they drew his knowledge from my memories…”

“That is strange,” agreed Hunk. “I hope I get to see my mom. Either of them would be great, or both.”

“I hope so too,” said Pidge smiling up at him. “Better them than someone we hate, like that empress.”

“Knowing my luck, it’ll probably be my high school bully or something,” deadpanned Hunk.

Pidge snorted. “Don’t be like that. I’m sure you’ll get your chance and I’m sure it will have a deeper meaning than that.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sven and Keith had no issues running the hose and collected the water in a few hours time. They didn’t talk about the impromptu kiss and Sven didn’t mind. He knew exactly why he had done it, but wasn’t sure honesty was the best policy in that case. A romantic relationship would complicate things and was a far cry from the casual flirting they sometimes engaged in. Still, he had always hoped that there was something more there and could swear he felt it at times, like a subtle tension. Or maybe he just had a really good imagination.

Upon returning the hose to the Veda, Keith had suddenly vanished in the span of time it took for Sven to take off his suit. He let out an exasperated sigh. He didn’t feel like hunting him down again. If Keith wanted some time to himself, then that’s what he would get. Grabbing some clean clothes, he headed for the showers.

It was just Sven’s luck that Keith was already in a shower stall, making him hesitate at the entrance. It ought to not matter, considering all of them showered around each other quite frequently and they were not prudish in the least. Definitely a side effect of training and working in the Galaxy Corps. Sven took a deep breath and entered the room with his caddy in hand. There was usually a variety of soaps littered about the stalls thanks to Lance, but Sven often brought his own just in case.

He picked a stall several away from Keith, hung his robe and towel up on a hook, and turned on the water. Keith cast a startled look his way beyond the dividers but it did not linger. He conducted his shower as if nobody was there, intent on being quick but loving how the hot water soothed his sore muscles and chest. He heard the water turn off and the wet slap of footsteps towards him.

Figuring Keith had left, Sven turned to grab a conditioner-type product. He nearly dropped the bottle when he noticed Keith was standing naked at the entrance of his stall, towel around his neck. The steam and heat hopefully hid Sven’s blush. Why had he given way to his impulses and made things weird between them?

“I slept with Lance,” said Keith, as if he were telling him something mundane like he had just eaten lunch.      

“W-what?” stuttered Sven. Even though he had no right to be upset or jealous, the news hit him like a blow to the gut. His mind raced for missed clues. How had he not noticed something was going on between them? “When?” he asked quietly.

“When you were gone,” said Keith taking a step forward, as if being closer would convey his point better. “When…we all thought you were dead.”

That detail made Sven feel slightly better, but only slightly. “Did…um…did you two, wait, no. You told me you never really believed I was dead.”

“I wanted to believe that.” Keith scowled down at his feet. “Most days I could based on how shady and stingy the Corps were with their official news of the incident. But other days, lots of other days, it was hard to stay optimistic.”

“And one of those days you slept with Lance for comfort,” said Sven. The sound of the water pattering down around him suddenly seemed thunderous.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” said Keith peering at him through wet bangs. He shoved them back and Sven irrationally thought he looked handsome like that. “Lance freaked out about it by the way, said it was a mistake, begged me to maintain our friendship like it was. It only happened once.”

“Did you want it to happen again?” Sven heard the words leave his mouth despite his better judgment.

“At the time, yes.” Keith attempted to gain eye contact, but Sven avoided it. “I was craving contact and comfort…to feel a little less horrible, even if just for a short while. He listened to me, cooked for me, told me everything was going to be okay, took the alcohol away before I got too smashed-”

“Then fucked you,” said Sven. It came out harsher than he intended.

“Sven, I came on to him, not the other way around.”

“But he didn’t do anything to stop you.” Sven finally turned away from Keith and continued his shower routine. He was getting too worked up and was afraid he would say something he couldn’t take back. “Listen, Keith…I need to be alone for a little while, okay?”

“Okay,” said Keith, pausing briefly. “Please come talk to me later.”

“I need some time to process this,” said Sven. “Just go before I start yelling at you. I don’t want to yell at you.”

Keith wisely kept his mouth shut and left the room. He wasn’t sure how he had expected Sven to take the news, but he hadn’t thought he would react the way he had. Was Sven angry that he hid it from him for so long or was he jealous because he had a romantic interest in him? They certainly had flirted a lot in the past, but Keith was never sure it meant anything more. Sven never had much time for relationships or dating so it was rarely if ever discussed between them.

A tight ball of nervous energy settled into Keith’s gut and he knew he needed to work it out. He got dressed and headed to the locker room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sven stayed in the shower staring at the wall for longer than he cared to admit. The water remained steadily warm as thought after thought darted through his mind until it blanked out. He brought his hands to his face noting the contrast of smooth metal alloy and wrinkled finger pads. Time to stop sulking and dry off before he turned into a fish. He grasped the shower handle and heard the metal crunching in the prosthesis's grip as he turned it. Someone would probably be upset about that later.

After staring at the wall for a moment longer, Sven shook his head, groping for his robe and towel, completely forgetting the caddy. He barely dried off before tugging some sweatpants on and trudging back to his room. The door swished open and he walked in, tossing his dirty clothes into a corner.

“Awww, what’s wrong, big guy?”

Sven spun around and tangled his foot in a discarded blanket, stumbling until his back hit the wall. Reclined comfortably on his bed and reading a data pad was none other than Matt Holt. That time he was dressed casually in a simple shirt and pants instead of their uniform. He’d often seen Matt like that at the Corps during his downtime.

“We need to stop meeting like this,” sighed Sven. He was starting to feel like a stressed windbag. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“Just checking in with an old friend.”

Sven kicked the blanket aside. “I’m fine, now go away.”

Matt continued to read and patted the mattress beside him. “You don’t seem fine at all. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

It reminded Sven so much of their time together that he obeyed Matt’s command out of sheer habit. Matt scooted over and gave him ample room to sit down and punch a pillow a few times. “It’s…about Keith.”

Matt chuckled. “Isn’t it always?”

“Am I that transparent?” asked Sven, smiling sheepishly.

“Yes, actually, and it’s adorable. Did you finally confess your feelings to him?”

“My feelings? I’m not even sure how I feel about him.” Sven groaned and rubbed at his hair, sending water droplets flying from the tips.

“Hey, watch it!” said Matt shielding the data pad from the water. He finally set it aside. “I think you know exactly how you feel about Keith, but you’re just not letting yourself entertain the thoughts.”

“We can’t get involved during this mission -or any mission for that matter. I’m the team leader and it would be grossly irresponsible of me to-“

“Blah, blah, blah, I’m Sven and I love to suffer,” interrupted Matt, lowering his voice to imitate Sven and butchering his Norwegian accent in the process. “I take my leadership role waaay too seriously and can’t see things that are right in front of my face.”

“Oh my god, knock it off, you sound ridiculous,” laughed Sven swatting playfully at Matt’s shoulder. “I kissed him Matt…and he pushed me away. Then he told me he slept with Lance while I was missing.”

“So what?” said Matt with a dismissive shrug. “He thought you were dead, can you blame him for seeking comfort? Also he’s probably in as much denial as you are about his feelings, if not more. You two are freakin’ terrible.”

“So exactly what are you suggesting? I just kiss him again, whether he likes it or not?”

Matt laughed. “How about you try talking to him first? Honesty is the best policy when it comes to things like this. Tell him how you feel, even if it’s not all good stuff. He’ll respond, trust me.”

Sven deflated against several of his pillows. “Wow…I feel a lot better. Thanks, Matt.” _Even if you aren’t really Matt_ , he added in his mind.

“No problem.” Matt paused to lean over Sven with a sly grin. “We’re actually very interested in seeing how you express your love physically. We considered simply forcing the scenario with one of us in the place of your potential mate but that seemed subpar to the real thing.”

Sven could feel his cheeks heating up at the mere suggestion of “expressing his love physically” to Keith. “Do…um, do I...have to….well, uh -have sex?” he stuttered through his thought process. “Is that part of the…deal?”

“Of course!” said Matt beaming a smile down at him. “If you don’t think it’ll work with anyone here, I can arrange a session with someone of your choosing. Not ideal but acceptable. And for the record, you’re not the only one we’re trying to target for this experience.”        

“Wonderful,” muttered Sven covering his face. “I’ll do my best?”

“I’m counting on you, stud,” said Matt patting Sven’s bare chest.

When Sven slid his hand from his face, Matt was gone. He let out a manic laugh and rolled onto his side. Just remembering his brief kiss with Keith had his body responding in ways he hadn’t expected. It really had been too long since he’d gotten laid. What if he had an embarrassing hair-trigger response? He did occasionally take care of his urges but seeking out partners hadn’t been high on his list of priorities for a while. Maybe it was time for that to change. Pent up sexual frustration was bad for your health, he rationalized.

Sven sat up abruptly with newfound purpose. It wasn’t like he had a choice. He had to do it for the entities. Never mind the fact he had absolutely no idea how he was going to pull it off. Still, the day wasn’t over yet, and determination was the key to success. He shook his head and stood up to get dressed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“This probably would’ve been easier if we brought bags,” complained Lance trying to hold all of the suspicious looking edible things they had found on the walkabout.

Lotor laughed and caught a root that slipped from Lance’s arm. “I offered to help, but you won’t let me.”

“Psh, you’re a prince! You don’t need to do plebeian chores like carry groceries,” said Lance as they finally made it to the galley. He unceremoniously dumped the armful onto the island counter.

“Plebeian?” asked Lotor with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, forgot about the human specific references.” Lance started sorting through the pile for things that looked like they needed refrigeration. “Don’t worry about it.”

Lotor opened his mouth to protest that he was interested in human references but Hunk waltzed into the galley with an impressed whistle, distracting him.

“Oooh nice! Good job, guys!” His eyes lit up as he surveyed the goods briefly before starting to sort through them as well. “No meat, but I can go out and hunt for that later. We still have plenty in storage.”

“Sweet,” nodded Lance. “We saw some creatures that looked like birds and a couple rodent looking things but didn’t get around to shooting any.”

Hunk nodded back with a thoughtful expression and went over to a console on the wall suddenly. “That thing looks a lot like the Sentil root, kimeel,” he muttered, typing in information and studying the results. “And that fruit looks very similar to Clorean vimpe…”

Lotor almost asked Hunk what he was talking about, but Lance shook his head at him. He held a finger up to his mouth and gently tugged Lotor out of the galley by an arm.

“When he gets like that, you just gotta let him be,” said Lance once they were down the corridor a ways. “He’ll figure out what all that stuff is and how to use it, he’ll even put it in a database!” 

“Interesting. We could go out and gather more to bring back home. If we get ones with roots they can be grown in the hydroponics room.”

“Once he figures out what he wants and what tastes good, I’m sure he’ll ask us to tag along to get more.” Lance’s face suddenly lit up. “Ooh, so that’s what that one mystery room is used for! Pidge thought it may be hydroponics but we never got around to testing the theory. You should show her and Hunk later.”

“I’d be happy to show them how it works and then we can have fresh vegetables and fruit for longer journeys. Some stretches of space are quite barren despite the ability to wormhole.”  

Lance hummed in agreement, then stretched and winced. “Man, am I sore. Should probably hit the training room more often.”

“I have a hot bath that works wonders on muscle aches,” said Lotor nonchalantly.

Lance stopped walking for moment, then rushed in front of Lotor, grasping him by the arms. “Wait a minute…are you telling me the Veda has a _hot tub_?”      

“If by that you mean a pool of hot water used for therapeutic purposes, then yes.”

“Where is it?” asked Lance with wide eyes.

Lotor smiled and brushed off Lance’s hands. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Lance was a little confused as Lotor led him to the communal shower’s locker room. He walked up to a wall and slid open a discreet panel. After punching in a sequence on the keypad, a larger panel slid open, revealing a hidden room beyond. It was cut through with soft blue accent lighting that flickered to life as they walked in. There were benches lining the walls, a bizarre pillar jutting from the floor in the center, dark robes on hooks, and stacks of towels in shelves, as well as compartments containing god knows what.

Before Lance could ask where the hot tub was, circular panels at the far end of the room shuttered open displaying steaming water beneath. He let out a delighted squeak and immediately started stripping off his clothes. Lotor chuckled behind him and he turned to see he was also stripping, laying his clothing in a neatly folded pile on a bench.

Lance tried to fold his clothes but he was too excited to really accomplish it. He paused at his underwear. “Hey, you okay with alien nudity?”

“Absolutely,” said Lotor, strutting over to Lance completely naked to prove his point. “The Galra were never much for modesty.”

“Is that so?” Lance fidgeted with the waistband of his underwear as he attempted to casually check out Lotor. A cursory glance showed they were similar but predictably different.

Sensing his hesitance, Lotor politely walked away and slowly stepped into the hot tub. It wasn’t like Lance hadn’t seen other aliens naked, hell, he’d even slept with a few. Somehow his current situation seemed a lot more intimate, but he shucked off his underwear regardless and joined Lotor. Nude hot tubbing was apparently a practice that spanned intergalactic cultures.  

“Aaaaah, this feels great,” sighed Lance sinking into the hot water and propping his arms onto the ledge behind him.

“I insisted it be installed after the Veda was gifted to me, and I also hid it to ensure personal use.” Lotor motioned to the pillar. “That creates steam so it can be used as a hot room as well. It was a tradition of my people to cleanse our bodies that way prior to certain ceremonies.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of ceremonies?”

“That would take a bit of explaining but basically they were holidays we held festivals for,” said Lotor. “Even though the Galra became interstellar travelers, we always tried to adhere to certain customs out of habit and perhaps a bit of lingering superstition. We believed they kept us safe…and fertile.”

“Safety and fertility are good things,” agreed Lance, idly wondering if the hot tub had jets.

“Indeed. We Galra were often praised throughout the universe for our unique qualities. This of course tied into our spirituality and fertility.”

Lance quirked an eyebrow. “Unique qualities? How so?”

“Many of our people were born with the capacity to inseminate as well as give life,” explained Lotor with a small, almost shy smile. “Despite only being half Galran, I happen to be one of those people.”

The words bounced around in Lance’s mind for a moment, scrambling for meaning. His mouth started moving before he gave it permission. “So, you’re telling me you can get, um-”

“It means I can carry a child, yes. It’s part of what made our species so successful, though I never planned to do so.”

“Wow…that’s amazing.” Alien biology never failed to amaze Lance. “How does that go about happening?” He cringed after asking but he was intensely curious and a little aroused by the new information.

“Well, I could tell you if you’re that interested.” Lotor scooted incrementally closer to Lance in the tub. “Or I could show you.”

“Wh-what? Seriously? Like right now?” Lance tossed a nervous glance towards the door, which was still open.

“Why not? Consider it a biology lesson.” Lotor sidled up beside Lance and grabbed his hand. He dipped it under the water, placing it on the smooth plane of his lower abdomen to gauge response. When Lance didn’t jerk away or freak out, he slowly slid the hand lower until it dipped between his legs.

Lance swallowed audibly and glanced at Lotor as a blush not associated with the heat darkened his cheeks. His fingers settled over something that felt enough like a normal penis, but with more bumps and texture. It seemed to be flaccid and had ridges in the skin around the base.

Lotor let out a breathy sigh as Lance continued to grope him. “See, not too drastically different, hm? Our gonads are within our bodies, though. Well, not all of us since our biology was so diverse, but a good number of us at least.”

“Did any have…genitals like us, er, me?” asked Lance pausing to glance up at Lotor. He wished he could see better through the water.

“I don’t know.” Lotor reached out and laid his hand on Lance’s thigh. “I didn’t get a good look.” He slid his hand over to Lance’s now half-erect cock, skirting his fingers along its length before dipping below to gently cup his balls.

Lance tried not to let himself get more excited than he already was, but even the brief touch was riling him up. He’d been feeling frustrated for a while, what with all the near death experiences, and the couple people he had arrangements with were out on long term assignments. Not to mention the brutal pace of work recently. Their current mishap was the most downtime he’d had in months.

“I may have seen a few like that in my day,” said Lotor returning his hand to Lance’s wrist. He urged it lower, guiding the fingers beneath the lengthening phallus.

There were subtle folds, and Lotor only moved Lance’s fingers over them a few times before pushing one past them with his own. Lance let out a surprised “oh”, nerves singing with potential and curiosity. It was warm and tight, filled with ridges and not unlike a human woman’s. He honestly had no preference in gender as far as partners were concerned, but something about that type of genitalia fascinated him, alien or not, and he could never get enough of them.

Lotor gave him a sultry look as he moved both their fingers inside him. The angle was awkward, so Lance turned his body and leaned in, inhaling the unique scent now rolling off Lotor. It reminded him of some type of flower.

“Keep going,” said Lotor before removing his own finger. He turned on the underwater bench seat, arranging his legs on either side of Lance and snaking a hand up to loosely grasp at his neck.

Lance tentatively probed the canal, caressing the walls and searching for sensitive spots. It started to relax as he worked, so he added another finger, turning them to explore different angles. Lotor was so close, panting softly and humming with approval, hand moving down to dig into his trapezius. The fact that he was fingering a prince in a hot tub where anyone could walk in and see sat in Lance’s gut like an aphrodisiac, driving him to the point of painful arousal.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” said Lance despite his burning desire to continue. It seemed like the right thing to say in that situation.

Lotor leveled him with an incredulous stare before reaching out to grab his erection firmly. He started to pump it with practiced ease and all thought of stopping flew out of Lance’s mind immediately. He let out an embarrassingly loud moan, fingers faltering in their rhythmic stroking. When he found his groove again, it only took a few seconds for Lotor to gasp sharply.

“Ah! Right there!” Lotor squirmed a little and bit his lip which Lance found simultaneously adorable and sexy.

As he rubbed the magic spot over and over again, Lance felt the walls start to flutter around his fingers. Lotor was letting out a series of quiet moans that evolved into cries as his body trembled. He sought out Lance’s eyes one last time before squeezing them shut and clenching tightly around the fingers still diligently moving within him. Something like a foreign cuss words passed his lips as he finally achieved orgasm, walls contracting around Lance with impressive force.

Seeing Lotor in a state of ecstasy pushed Lance over the edge, and he came in the water despite the fact Lotor had stopped stroking him. He let out a satisfied groan, fingers still trapped within the gently pulsing canal.

Lotor leaned forward and rested his head on Lance’s shoulder, panting. “I…needed that,” he spoke quietly.

“Me too,” said Lance, finally slipping his fingers free. He used his other hand to stroke Lotor’s long hair a couple times before pulling a few stray strands back over his shoulder.

After catching his breath, Lotor lifted his head and regarded Lance curiously for a moment. “Come to my quarters later, after everyone is settled for the night.”

“Okay.” The word slipped from Lance’s mouth easily. He wanted to kiss Lotor but settled for fiddling with his hair.

“Oh my god, we have a hot tub?!” exclaimed Pidge from the doorway.

Lance pulled away from Lotor so fast he almost got whiplash. Lotor seemed less concerned, slowly turning to face Pidge as she approached. As they talked, Pidge completely unfazed by their nudity, Lance thought that things were going to get very interesting later that night. Or at least he hoped they would.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sven searched the Veda for a while before being informed Keith had left the craft to go hunting. He spent some time going over the repairs with Hunk and then some of the data Pidge had collected so far. Keith remained gone for several hours, even missing dinner, which put Sven into a nervous tailspin. Hunk contacted him to make sure he was okay and Sven helped him do the dishes as thanks.

Keith didn’t return until the sun was setting, carrying two bird-like creatures over his shoulder. Sven was buzzing around Hunk while he baked, trying to help but more or less just getting in the way, when Keith walked into the galley. He laid the birds on a counter and left without a word.

Sven cast Hunk an apprehensive glance.

Hunk bristled. “Dude, don’t take this the wrong way, but get out of my kitchen. I’m trying to decompress here and you’re winding me up.”   

“Ahaha, sorry,” apologized Sven as he rushed out of the room. “Keith! Wait!” He cringed at how desperate he sounded.

Keith turned a surprised face towards him slowing his step. “Oh…I thought you would take longer.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Sven sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Um…I feel like I should apologize for how I reacted earlier.”

“Don’t,” said Keith waving a dismissive hand. “I should be the one apologizing for not telling you sooner. I was worried you would take it wrong, and I guess my worry was a bit founded.”

They stopped at the locker room and Keith started to take off his armor and suit. Sven crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby locker, not wanting to crowd Keith. He tried not to stare since they typically only wore underwear beneath the tight suits.

“I’m going to say it anyways because I feel like I need to.” Sven allowed himself to stare, seeking out Keith’s eyes. When they were met he continued. “I’m sorry. I overreacted.”

Keith smiled softly and turned his attention to peeling off his bodysuit. “Thanks. Is there a reason you reacted that way?”

It was a baiting question for sure, the kind that Sven usually tossed out first to gauge the mood, but this one left him wide open for a confession. He thought back to his talk with Matt and steeled his nerves. It could all go horribly wrong, but he was sick of hiding his feelings under a layer of teasing and denial.

“Keith, I…” he paused, probably blushing. He could feel Keith’s eyes on him but was too nervous to look back. “I like you. A lot.”

Plopping down onto a bench, Keith finished pulling the suit off before tossing it into the locker in a heap. “I like you a lot too,” he responded simply.

Sven could practically hear Matt groaning in the distance at how stupid they were both being. He needed to be more specific. “I like you as more than a friend.” There. He got it out. Finally.

The silence that followed made his stomach flop in an unpleasant way. It felt like butterflies and nausea going to war. His first instinct was to flee and it was definitely scarier than fighting an Altean army, but Sven forced himself to stand his ground, even if that was just leaning against a locker internally freaking out. He startled when Keith suddenly stepped into his personal space wearing nothing but boxer briefs.

“You do?” he asked, staring intently at Sven, almost scowling. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“It was…inappropriate.”

“Liking me is inappropriate?” Keith tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“No, no, of course not.” Sven laughed nervously and shook his head. “It’s the whole leadership thing. They even address it in training, I-“

Sven fell abruptly silent when Keith grasped his face in both hands and leaned forward to brush their lips together. He lingered for a moment before diving in for a deeper kiss, working Sven’s mouth open quickly so he could dip his tongue inside. Sven let out a noise that was a mix between a hum and moan, too pleasantly surprised to be embarrassed. His arms unfolded and instinctively wrapped around Keith’s torso.

Just as Sven was really starting to get into it, Keith pulled away. He started tugging on some pants and a shirt. “Let’s swing by the galley for a snack, then go back to your room.”

Sven nodded, feeling lightheaded. He brought fingers up to his lips that were still tingling. As he followed Keith through the corridors he desperately hoped everything was really happening and not a trick of the entities.

Hunk was gone by the time they made it to the galley, but a freshly baked cake was cooling on the countertop and the birds were put away. A note set by it read “help yourself but don’t eat the whole thing”. Keith chuckled and cut two pieces, handing one to Sven. It looked like chocolate but who knew what it truly was. They took them back to Sven’s room and ate them sitting on his area rug since he didn’t want crumbs on his bed.

“So, what are we going to…do?” asked Sven as he collected the plates and set them on the desk.

“I don’t know.” Keith shrugged. “Let’s just take it easy and see where it goes.”

“I like that,” said Sven smiling as he helped Keith to his feet. On an impulsive whim, he scooped Keith up into his arms and carried him over to the bed. To his credit he didn’t even seem very surprised. After setting Keith down, he crawled in next to him, gathering him into his arms once again. “You like me,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I do, even if you’re a giant nerd.” Keith twisted around, freeing himself and shoving Sven onto his back. He ran a hand over one of Sven’s pectorals. “A nerd with a really hot body, that is.”

Sven’s eyebrows shot up. “You think I’m hot?”

Keith barked out a laugh. The whole conversation reminded him of two awkward teenagers discovering each other for the first time, and they were far from teenagers at that point. He pulled off his own shirt before starting to yank Sven’s up over his head. It got stuck and they both giggled, struggling to free him. When he managed to discard the garment, Sven was flushed with hair sticking in various directions.

“I’m out of practice,” he admitted, blushing a deeper shade of pink.

“Me too.” Keith skirted his fingers over the scar that faintly marred Sven’s chest. It still pissed him off and he wondered how much of that feeling was tied up in his complicated feelings towards Lance. To distract himself, he crawled onto Sven’s lap and set to exploring his chest more thoroughly.

Sven had no idea how to react when Keith settled onto his lap and started to fondle every inch of exposed skin within his reach. He brought his hands up and curled them tentatively around Keith’s hips, idly massaging the hipbones beneath his pants. He realized that he was probably a bit touch starved, because the pressure on his crotch and hands roaming freely over him were clouding his mind with desire. He let out a pleased hum and Keith smirked.

“You’re already getting hard,” he stated much to Sven’s embarrassment. “How long has it been?”

Sven covered his face. “Too long.”

“How about some heavy petting and grinding to get you back into the swing of things,” suggested Keith.

Peeking through his fingers, Sven nodded. He wondered if the entities would count that as sex but honestly didn’t care right then. A fleeting moment of panic passed his mind that Keith wasn’t even really there, but they had said they wanted the “real deal”. All coherent thought stuttered when Keith started grinding his hips against Sven’s, leaning down to kiss him again.

If anything, Sven thought he must have died and gone to heaven, even if he really didn’t believe in the place. Keith’s mouth was on his aggressively seeking his tongue, then sucking down his neck before stopping at the juncture to worry the skin. While he worked at leaving a hickey his hands were everywhere, like he was trying to map out Sven’s body through touch. All the while Keith kept an even pace grinding against him.

“Can you feel me?” he whispered, tweaking one of Sven’s nipples. “I’m hard too.”

Sven looked down when Keith pulled back slightly to stick his hand down his pants and adjust himself more comfortably. God, he wished those pants weren’t in the way but couldn’t find the courage to say anything. He gasped when Keith settled his hand over his erection and started to squeeze it experimentally through the cloth.

“I’ve always known this thing was big, I mean I’ve seen it plenty of times.” Keith trailed off exploring its shape. “Still…it’s bigger than I imagined like this.”

“You imagined me hard?” That was the only concept that latched properly in his mind.

”Maybe once or twice,” teased Keith. “Is it comfortable? Do you want me to adjust it?”

Figuring he might explode if Keith put a hand down his pants, Sven shook his head. “It’s, uh, I’m fine.”

Keith returned to slowly grinding against Sven and his thoughts scattered. Even through the layers of clothes it felt so good and he knew he wasn’t going to last long. Above him, Keith arched up and tilted his head back a bit, dark hair damp and curling with sweat. He looked so beautiful Sven couldn’t help but reach out and slide a hand up his body to his face. Keith placed his hand over Sven’s, then curled his fingers around it, guiding it down to his pelvis just above where they were pressed together.

“I’m close…here, feel…” Keith gave three more purposeful thrusts then sat up.  

Sven watched with fascination as Keith’s expression fell into a state of bliss. He was quickly distracted by his hand being insistently pressed over Keith’s covered erection, which he rubbed instinctively. Keith let out a couple short cries, hips jerking into the touch as his cock started to pulse in Sven’s hand.

The display was insanely erotic for being partially covered and Sven’s body reacted to its intimate call. He gave a few jerky thrusts upwards before finding his own release, just as he started to feel the damp spot spreading on Keith’s pants. His eyes shot up to Keith’s as he came and were met almost immediately by a sensual gaze. He gasped through the aftershocks gripping Keith’s hips to push them down for one last grind.

Keith slid down a bit and collapsed panting onto Sven’s chest. “That was great. Sorry I didn’t hold out longer.”

“Oh my god, you were fantastic,” said Sven feeling euphoric. He wrapped his arms around Keith and tugged him up for a kiss. “Hey, um…I feel it worth mentioning that the entities kind of…prompted this.”

“Did they?” asked Keith propping his head on an arm draped over Sven’s chest. “Well, they did want to know how we fight so I guess fucking’s not far behind.”

Sven laughed. “You know, I should’ve figured they would ask about it at some point but my mind never went there. And just for the record, I really do like you and definitely would’ve tried this regardless…but probably not as soon.”

“It’s okay, Sven, I get it.” Keith shifted and grimaced. “I’m a mess. Wanna go clean up in the showers? I bet nobody’s there now.”

A few steamy scenarios flashed through Sven’s mind and he nodded. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait on this! I got stuck but thankfully pushed past it. I do really enjoy writing this story even if it's not getting a lot of hits. The characters seem looser and more fun to work with. Being alternate versions of them is leaving me more open to interpretation, I think. Thank you so much to the people that are keeping up with this experimentation in world building! I appreciate the heck outta you guys~ :D
> 
> Thanks again for reading and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on my my multifandom main [ghostmoonchild](http://ghostmoonchild.tumblr.com/) or VLD side blog [starchildkeith](http://starchildkeith.tumblr.com/)


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